What is a order of contempt?

Steven H. Gifis, in his book "LAW DICTIONARY", defines "contempt of court" as "an act or omission tending to obstruct or interfere with the orderly administration of justice, or to impair the dignity of the court or respect for its authority. There are two kinds, direct and constructive." (249 S. 2d 127, 128)

"DIRECT CONTEMPT openly and in the presence of the court, resists the power of the court, 102 A. 400, 406. CONSTRUCTIVE CONTEMPT results from matters outside the court, such as failure to comply with orders." (114 P. 257, 258)

"Another classification differentiates between civil and criminal contempt. CIVIL CONTEMPT consists of failure to do something which is ordered by the court for the benefit of another party to the proceedings (sometimes called RELIEF TO LITIGANTS), while CRIMINAL CONTEMPT are acts in disrespect of the courts or its processes which obstruct the administration of justice." (199 S.W. 2d 613,614)

"The penalty for civil contempt is usually payment of a fine, or imprisonment for an indefinite period of time until the party in contempt agrees to perform his legal obligation, "unless the imprisonment clearly fails to act as coercion and merely to punish" (64 NJ 257). The penalty for criminal contempt is a fine or imprisonment for a specified period of time, intended as punishment which must be tried by jury if post-conviction contempt proceedings impose sentences exceeding an aggregate of six months." (94 S Ct. 2687)