Jimmy C. Morris, Jr., Appellant v. State of Arkansas, Appellee

Summary

The court held that Morris willfully violated the circuit court's scheduling order by knowingly arriving late to a murder trial without timely notifying the court, and it affirmed the contempt finding under the substantial-evidence standard. It rejected the argument that the statutory fine limit for a Class C misdemeanor constrained the court's inherent contempt power, but reduced the $4,000 fine to $2,000 as sufficient to serve the purposes of criminal contempt. Justices Baker, Hart, and Womack agreed that the contempt finding was supported by substantial evidence but would have reduced the fine to $500; Justice Hart additionally concluded that any restitution component required a due-process hearing.