Contumacy, in ecclesiastical law, is contempt of the authority of an ecclesiastical court and is dealt with by the issue of a writ from the Court of Chancery at the instance of the judge of the ecclesiastical court. This writ took the place of the de excommunicato capiendo in 1813, by an act of George III; see excommunication. In Western culture, canon law is the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. ... An ecclesiastical court (also called Court Christian) is any of certain courts having jurisdiction mainly in spiritual or religious matters. ... In law, a writ is a formal written order issued by a body with administrative or judicial jurisdiction. ... One of the courts of equity in England and Wales. ... Year 1813 (MDCCCXIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 1738 – 29 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until 1 January 1801, and thereafter United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death. ... Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive or suspend membership in a religious community. ...

The term "contumacy" is derived from the Latin word contumacia, meaning firmness or stubbornness. It refers to a stubborn refusal to obey authority, or particularly, in law, the willful contempt of the order or summons of a court (see contempt of court.) The U.S. Supreme Court recognized federal courts' inherent power to imprison a person for contumacy in United States v. Hudson & Goodwin without a reference to a definition of contumacy in common or statutory law. Latin was the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... Contempt of court is a court ruling which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, deems an individual as holding contempt for the court, its process, and its invested powers. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
• Contumacy (in Canon Law) Article in the Catholic Encyclopedia

United States v. Hudson & Goodwin, 11 U.S. (7 Cranch) 32 http://www.constitution.org/ussc/007-032.htm Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...