# Reaction of criminal defendants

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reaction-of-criminal-defendants/749611>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [March 20, 2016, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reaction-of-criminal-defendants/749611 "2016-03-20T01:52:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [March 22, 2016, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reaction-of-criminal-defendants/749611/21 "2016-03-22T19:13:00Z")

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> [@core](#):
>
> It very well might have been stated a the beginning of the day, but my case wasn’t scheduled until the afternoon session so I was never given such an order! 😛 Certainly anyone understands you’re not supposed to be an ass in court, but does that “understanding” count for the purposes of contempt?

Yes. Direct contempt does not necessarily require the court to instruct a party to refrain from some action, though most judges would probably give you a warning. Telling the prosecutor to fuck himself is likely to land you in jail even if nobody has expressly told you not to say that.

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