Legal & Judicial Ethics, 2011 Bar — Question 45

MULTIPLE CHOICE

On November 28 Atty. Patrick wrote in a newspaper column that the Supreme Court already decided in favor of the validity of the Executive Order that created the Truth Commission upon a vote of 13-2. But, as it turned out, the Court actually rendered an adverse decision only on December 7, and upon a vote of 10-5. Asked to explain his misleading article, Patrick said that his constitutionally protected right to free expression covered what he wrote. Can the Court cite Patrick for contempt? (A) Yes, because his article obstructs and degrades the administration of justice. (B) No, because the right to free expression occupies a high rank in the hierarchy of cherished rights. (C) No, because courts must simply ignore public opinion and the media when rendering decisions. (D) Yes, because he wrote a lie in his column.

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