{"data":{"id":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-5a-11","jurisdiction":"us-nc","citation":"N.C. Gen. Stat. § 5A-11","heading":"Criminal contempt.","body":"(a)\tExcept as provided in subsection (b), each of the following is criminal contempt:\n(1)\tWillful behavior committed during the sitting of a court and directly tending to interrupt its proceedings.\n(2)\tWillful behavior committed during the sitting of a court in its immediate view and presence and directly tending to impair the respect due its authority.\n(3)\tWillful disobedience of, resistance to, or interference with a court's lawful process, order, directive, or instruction or its execution.\n(4)\tWillful refusal to be sworn or affirmed as a witness, or, when so sworn or affirmed, willful refusal to answer any legal and proper question when the refusal is not legally justified.\n(5)\tWillful publication of a report of the proceedings in a court that is grossly inaccurate and presents a clear and present danger of imminent and serious threat to the administration of justice, made with knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false. No person, however, may be punished for publishing a truthful report of proceedings in a court.\n(6)\tWillful or grossly negligent failure by an officer of the court to perform his duties in an official transaction.\n(7)\tWillful or grossly negligent failure to comply with schedules and practices of the court resulting in substantial interference with the business of the court.\n(8)\tWillful refusal to testify or produce other information upon the order of a judge acting pursuant to Article 61 of Chapter 15A, Granting of Immunity to Witnesses.\n(9)\tWillful communication with a juror in an improper attempt to influence his deliberations.\n(9a)\tWillful refusal by a defendant to comply with a condition of probation.\n(9b)\tWillful refusal to accept post-release supervision or to comply with the terms of post-release supervision by a prisoner whose offense requiring post-release supervision is a reportable conviction subject to the registration requirement of Article 27A of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes. For purposes of this subdivision, \"willful refusal to accept post-release supervision or to comply with the terms of post-release supervision\" includes, but is not limited to, knowingly violating the terms of post-release supervision in order to be returned to prison to serve out the remainder of the supervisee's sentence.\n(10)\tAny other act or omission specified elsewhere in the General Statutes of North Carolina as grounds for criminal contempt.\nThe grounds for criminal contempt specified here are exclusive, regardless of any other grounds for criminal contempt which existed at common law.\n(b)\tNo person may be held in contempt under this section on the basis of the content of any broadcast, publication, or other communication unless it presents a clear and present danger of an imminent and serious threat to the administration of criminal justice.\n(c)\tThis section is subject to the provisions of G.S. 7A-276.1, Court orders prohibiting publication or broadcast of reports of open court proceedings or reports of public records banned. (1977, c. 711, s. 3; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 19, s. 1; 2011-307, s. 6.)","path":["Chapter 5A. Contempt.","Article 1. Criminal Contempt."],"source_url":"https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/HTML/BySection/Chapter_5A/GS_5A-11.html","current_through":"S.L. 2026-30","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-08-27T17:55:12Z","sha256":"c036dabb777088ee2b105d779eb1ddcccf3580377e0979ddccae775fd34f9268","source_id":"us-nc","stale":false,"prev":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-5a-10","next":"us-nc/n.c.-gen.-stat.-5a-12"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}