Yeah, you’re probably right on all counts. Contempt charges are only an effective deterant if the person is scared of being charged with contempt. In this case, contempt charges were probably what Alex was aiming for and the judge was smart enough to not play his game.

The fact that changing Alex with contempt could lead some to think the judge was biased makes me think that, maybe, there should be another way for contempt charges to be levied. Maybe the presiding district court should be able to step in when circumstances dictate. I know that’s probably a dumb idea for many reasons.