So if a judge asks you to do something, you can tell him to go to a very warm place? That typically isn't how it is on TV.
But that very warm place is sort of home to lawyers, so it probably is much less of an insult.
True story. A judge held me in contempt once. I represented a college kid who was charged with assault from a fight in a college bar. I had my client and two frat brothers who were witnesses with him. Our defense centered on the complainant being the aggressor.
The court: are we ready for trial?
DA: people are ready.
Me: defense is ready.
The court: Is the Defendant present?
Me: yes.
The court: have him sit at counsel table.
Me: The prosecution will need to identify him.
The court : Have him sit at counsel table or I will hold you in contempt.
I motioned all three of my guys to come to counsel table.
The Court: only the defendant is allowed inside the bar.
Me: The prosecution must identify the defendant.
The court: I find you in contempt.
Trial proceeds, and sure enough, the prosecuting witness could not pick out my client.
Case dismissed.
Judge was pissed but he dropped the contempt finding. The judge was quite elderly, had been on the county court or ever, and wasn’t all there all the time. He retired in less than a year and was not before him again.
The point is just cuz a judge says contempt, the judge might not be correct.