Iowa Code
Iowa Code § 665.2 (2026)
Acts constituting contempt
✓ current as of July 2026
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The following acts or omissions are contempts, and are punishable as such by any of the courts of this state, or by any judicial officer, including judicial magistrates, acting in the discharge of an official duty, as hereinafter provided:
1. Contemptuous or insolent behavior toward such court while engaged in the discharge of a judicial duty which may tend to impair the respect due to its authority.
2. Any willful disturbance calculated to interrupt the due course of its official proceedings.
3. Illegal resistance to any order or process made or issued by it.
4. Disobedience to any subpoena issued by it and duly served, or refusing to be sworn or to answer as a witness.
5. Unlawfully detaining a witness or party to an action or proceeding pending before such court, while going to or remaining at the place where the action or proceeding is thus pending, after being summoned, or knowingly assisting, aiding or abetting any person in evading service of the process of such court.
6. Any other act or omission specially declared a contempt by law. [C51, §1598; R60, §2688; C73, §3491; C97, §4460; C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §12541; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §665.2] Referred to in §665.3 \n
Notes of Decisions
Cited in 51
cases (5 in the last 5 years), 1946–2026 · leading case: Hicks v. Stigler, 323 N.W.2d 262 (Iowa Ct. App. 1982).
Hicks v. Stigler, 323 N.W.2d 262 (Iowa Ct. App. 1982). “Plaintiff, on appeal, argues his oral responses were not "conduct" or "behavior" as those terms are used in section 665.2, The Code 1981. Section 665.”
Titan Tire Corp. v. Labor Comm'r, 637 N.W.2d 115 (Iowa 2001). “" Iowa Code § 665.2 (3). Thus, when a contempt is alleged to involve "illegal resistance to any order," i.”
Newby v. Dist. Court of Woodbury Cnty., 147 N.W.2d 886 (Iowa 1967). “O’Brien filed for the three plaintiffs a motion to dismiss the rule or order to show cause why they should not be punished for contempt on the ground they were not guilty of any act constituting contempt as defined in section 665.2. This is essentially the first of the two…”
Reis v. Iowa Dist. Court for Polk Cnty., 787 N.W.2d 61 (Iowa 2010). “” Iowa Code § 665.2 (3) (2007). Resistance to or violation of an order cannot be considered contempt of court unless it is willful.”
Zimmermann v. Iowa Dist. Court for Benton Cnty., 480 N.W.2d 70 (Iowa 1992). “See Iowa Code § 665.2 (3). The court offered Zimmermann alternative punishments for his contempt viola *74 tion: (1) serving forty-eight hours in jail, or (2) performing forty-eight hours of unpaid community service.”
State v. Sluyter, 763 N.W.2d 575 (Iowa 2009). “See Iowa Code § 665.2 (3) (listing acts constituting contempt, including an “[ijllegal resistance to any order or process made or issued by [the court]”).”
Hudson v. Jenkins, 288 N.W.2d 566 (Iowa 1980). “Acts constituting contempt are set out in section 665.2, The Code, as follows: The following acts or omissions are contempts, and are punishable as such by any of the courts of this state, or by any judicial officer, including justices of the peace, acting in the discharge of an…”
Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Bd. v. Pamela Ann Vandel, 889 N.W.2d 659 (Iowa 2017). “On May 28, Judge Blane found Vandel “guilty [beyond a reasonable doubt] of nine (9) counts of contempt of court by willfully counseling, thereby aiding and abetting the violation of the Court’s Decree of May 19, 2004, pursuant to Iowa Code section 665.2(3).” 1 Judge Blane also…”
Hutcheson v. Iowa Dist. Court for Lee Cnty., 480 N.W.2d 260 (Iowa 1992). “Subparagraphs 2 and 3 of Iowa Code § 12541 (1935) are identical to Iowa Code §§ 665.2 (2) and 665.2(3) (1989).”
Dunlap v. Action Warehouse, 824 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa Ct. App. 2012). “Iowa Code section 665.2(4) provides: The following acts or omissions are contempts, and are -punishable as such by any of the courts of this state, or by any judicial officer, including judicial magistrates, acting in the discharge of an official duty, as hereinafter provided: 4.”
Gibb v. Hansen, 286 N.W.2d 180 (Iowa 1979). “The court explained that an illegal resistance to any order made or issued by the court constituted contempt under section 665.2(3). The penalties for contempt were also explained to Gibb.”
French v. Iowa Dist. Court for Jones Cnty., 546 N.W.2d 911 (Iowa 1996). “See Iowa Code §§ 665.2 (3), 665.7 (1995); Iowa R.”
— Iowa Code § 665.2(1) — 5 cases
Knox v. Mun. Court of City of Des Moines, 185 N.W.2d 705 (Iowa 1971).
State v. Mott, 731 N.W.2d 392 (Iowa 2007).
Hutcheson v. Iowa Dist. Court for Lee Cnty., 480 N.W.2d 260 (Iowa 1992). “Subparagraphs 2 and 3 of Iowa Code § 12541 (1935) are identical to Iowa Code §§ 665.2 (2) and 665.2(3) (1989).”
Brown v. Dist. Court of Webster Cnty., 158 N.W.2d 744 (Iowa 1968).
— Iowa Code § 665.2(2) — 1 case
Hudson v. Jenkins, 288 N.W.2d 566 (Iowa 1980). “Acts constituting contempt are set out in section 665.2, The Code, as follows: The following acts or omissions are contempts, and are punishable as such by any of the courts of this state, or by any judicial officer, including justices of the peace, acting in the discharge of an…”
— Iowa Code § 665.2(3) — 13 cases
Iowa Supreme Court Attorney Disciplinary Bd. v. Pamela Ann Vandel, 889 N.W.2d 659 (Iowa 2017). “On May 28, Judge Blane found Vandel “guilty [beyond a reasonable doubt] of nine (9) counts of contempt of court by willfully counseling, thereby aiding and abetting the violation of the Court’s Decree of May 19, 2004, pursuant to Iowa Code section 665.2(3).” 1 Judge Blane also…”
Gibb v. Hansen, 286 N.W.2d 180 (Iowa 1979). “The court explained that an illegal resistance to any order made or issued by the court constituted contempt under section 665.2(3). The penalties for contempt were also explained to Gibb.”
Lutz v. Darbyshire, 297 N.W.2d 349 (Iowa 1980).
State v. Sluyter, 763 N.W.2d 575 (Iowa 2009). “See Iowa Code § 665.2 (3) (listing acts constituting contempt, including an “[ijllegal resistance to any order or process made or issued by [the court]”).”
Hutcheson v. Iowa Dist. Court for Lee Cnty., 480 N.W.2d 260 (Iowa 1992). “Subparagraphs 2 and 3 of Iowa Code § 12541 (1935) are identical to Iowa Code §§ 665.2 (2) and 665.2(3) (1989).”
— Iowa Code § 665.2(4) — 1 case
Dunlap v. Action Warehouse, 824 N.W.2d 545 (Iowa Ct. App. 2012). “Iowa Code section 665.2(4) provides: The following acts or omissions are contempts, and are -punishable as such by any of the courts of this state, or by any judicial officer, including judicial magistrates, acting in the discharge of an official duty, as hereinafter provided: 4.”
— Iowa Code § 665.2(6) — 2 cases
State v. Lipcamon, 483 N.W.2d 605 (Iowa 1992).
State v. Dist. Court in & for Polk Cnty., 231 N.W.2d 1 (Iowa 1975).
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