Conn. Gen. Stat. » Title 51 — COURTS · Chapter 871 — Courts
Connecticut General Statutes

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 51-33a (2026)

Criminal contempt

✓ current as of May 2026
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(a) Any person who violates the dignity and authority of any court, in its presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice, or any officer of any court who misbehaves in the conduct of his official duties shall be guilty of contempt and shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than six months or both.

(b) No person charged with violating this section may be tried for the violation before the same judge against whom the alleged contempt was perpetrated.

(1971, P.A. 779; P.A. 82-248, S. 17.)

History: P.A. 82-248 made technical revision, rewording some provisions and dividing section into Subsecs. but made no substantive change.

Section designed to satisfy due process requirements when contumacious conduct involves a personal attack on judge and judge does not act when the contempt is committed; does not expressly or impliedly repeal Sec. 51-33, both are operative. 186 C. 256. Cited. 191 C. 110; 214 C. 344; 221 C. 498; 222 C. 591; 225 C. 355; 241 C. 569.

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Notes of Decisions
Cited in 19 cases (3 in the last 5 years), 1982–2026 · leading case: Vasquez v. Superior Court, 925 A.2d 1112 (Conn. App. Ct. 2007).
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Vasquez v. Superior Court, 925 A.2d 1112 (Conn. App. Ct. 2007). · cites it 27× “The primary issue posed by the plaintiff in error, Juan Vasquez (the plaintiff), in connection with his writ of error, 1 is whether the trial judge, before *396 whom the allegedly contemptuous behavior had occurred, could punish him for summary criminal contempt pursuant to…”
Wilson v. Cohen, 610 A.2d 1177 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 8× “The trial court reviewed the various contempt statutes, 3 and informed the plaintiff that *594 it believed that General Statutes § 51-33a was applicable.”
Moore v. State, 440 A.2d 969 (Conn. 1982). · cites it 9× “The writ raises three issues, namely, (1) whether the plaintiff’s conduct constituted a contempt, (2) *257 whether the plaintiff had a right to be tried pursuant to the provisions of General Statutes § 51-33a, and (3) if General Statutes § 51-33 is the applicable statute,…”
O'Brien v. O'Brien, 161 A.3d 1236 (Conn. 2017). · cites it 2× “, General Statutes § 51-33a. Criminal contempt penalties are punitive in nature and employed against completed actions that defy "the dignity and authority of the court.”
State v. Murray, 623 A.2d 60 (Conn. 1993). · cites it 9× “6 He asserted that: *359 (1) since the enactment in 1971 of General Statutes § 51-33a, all criminal contempts of court—whether in or outside the presence of the court—are regulated by statute; (2) because this prosecution was not authorized by statute, it violates the separation…”
Furs v. Superior Court, 3 A.3d 912 (Conn. 2010). · cites it 6× “” Although the judgment file indicates that the plaintiff violated General Statutes § 51-33a, the facts and proceedings indicate that § 51-33 is the applicable provision.”
Harris v. Comm'r of Corr., 860 A.2d 715 (Conn. 2004). · cites it 2× “5 On February 2, 2000, the petitioner was sentenced to six months imprisonment for each of four counts of criminal contempt of court in violation of General Statutes § 51-33a in four separate dockets (Manchester I).”
Higgins v. Liston, 870 A.2d 1137 (Conn. App. Ct. 2005). · cites it 5× “On appeal, the plaintiff in error claimed, inter alia, that “he was entitled to the full benefit of a criminal trial, including the right to have the proceeding heard by a judge other than the one before whom the contumacious conduct occurred, as provided in General Statutes §…”
Martin v. Flanagan, 789 A.2d 979 (Conn. 2002). · cites it 2× “The trial court originally had imposed a $500 fine pursuant to General Statutes § 51-33a for each of the sixteen contempt findings for which the plain! iff did not receive a term of imprisonment.”
Jackson v. Bailey, 605 A.2d 1350 (Conn. 1992). · cites it 3× “In Moore , we noted the apparent overlap between § 51-33 and General Statutes § 51-33a. 4 In harmonizing the two statutes so that both may be operative, we stated that “[t]he ‘overlap’ of the two statutes in respect to con-tempts occurring in the presence of the court allows the…”
Naunchek v. Naunchek, 463 A.2d 603 (Conn. 1983). · cites it 4× “According to the plaintiff, this case should have been handled pursuant to General Statutes *115 § 51-33a 4 rather than § 51-33, which the trial court invoked.”
Banks v. Thomas, 698 A.2d 268 (Conn. 1997). · cites it 2× “” General Statutes § 51-33a provides: “Criminal contempt, (a) Any person who violates the dignity and authority of any court, in its presence or so near thereto as to obstruct the administration of justice, or any officer of any court who misbehaves in the conduct of his…”
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