Published: August 19, 2026
MONROVIA — The Monrovia City Court has held lawyer J. Jefferson Chesson in contempt for discussing a case pending before it on a television talk show and insinuating that the presiding magistrate was biased, a finding that exposes him to punishment under a statute allowing judges to sanction conduct that impairs respect for their authority.
The court ruled Tuesday in a contempt proceeding brought after Chesson appeared on the Spoon Talk show and, the court said, spoke publicly about the pending matter and about the conduct of the magistrate hearing it.
Chesson had been informed of a writ of arrest connected to that matter and knew the proceedings were underway when he went on air, the ruling said.
The statements exposed the judiciary to public ridicule and tended to undermine the authority, dignity and integrity of the court, the ruling said. The court relied on Chapter 12 of the New Judiciary Law, which authorizes a court to punish “disorderly, contemptuous or insolent behavior directly tending to interrupt its proceedings or to impair the respect due to its authority.”
It identified three problems with Chesson’s conduct: violation of the sub judice principle, which restricts public discussion of matters still before a court, scandalizing the court, and breach of the professional responsibility owed by a lawyer as an officer of the court.
The court acknowledged the guarantee of free expression under Article 15 of the constitution but said the right carries corresponding responsibilities where conduct threatens public order, the administration of justice or the authority of the courts. It cited Supreme Court precedent holding that contempt can reach conduct tending to bring a court into disrepute or obstruct the administration of justice, and pointed to In re Wolo for the principle that lawyers carry a heightened duty to preserve the dignity of the judiciary.
Requiring a defendant to appear and answer charges is ordinary magisterial work and is not by itself evidence of bias, the court said. Chesson had accepted the call to appear, it said, and chose instead to take the matter public.
At the contempt hearing, Chesson’s lawyers asked for leniency, citing his expression of remorse, the absence of any prior contempt finding and what they described as an isolated incident. He was represented by Attorney Samora P. Z. Wolokolie and Counsellor Garrison D. Yealue Jr.
Court-appointed counsel opposed leniency, arguing that the conduct was a serious violation of the constitutional and statutory protections surrounding the authority of the courts. Lawyers from the Ministry of Justice, including Counsellor J. Africano Gabriel and Attorney Alex Hawkins S. Younge, represented the court, with Counsellor Adolphus Karnuan expected to join the prosecution team.
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