Contempt of court

Abstract

The law of contempt of court is an institute which belongs to English law. It exists, however, in other common law countries and forms part also of the law of Malta, where the concept has been largely interpreted by reference to English law. In this thesis I have principally tried to show how this subject is understood in England and in Malta. Although this institute does not operate outside the common law I thought it opportune to consider how the proper administration of justice is safeguarded on the continent and in some other countries. This would help, I hope, to bring out the notion of contempt of court better. Moreover, it has been suggested by some writers that rules relating to respect for the judicial process, which is the scope of the law of contempt, probably exist also in International law. A whole chapter has been devoted to contempt by publication, perhaps the most important branch of the subject although one of the most uncertain. Finally, I have sought to include some criticism together with a number of suggestions for the further development of this very important branch of the law.