An indigent defendant charged with contempt may be entitled to a court-appointed attorney in municipal court.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not Applicable
• D. Not Enough Information

Answer: (A)

Indigent defendants have a right to appointed counsel when contempt proceedings could lead to imprisonment. In municipal court, contempt can be criminal in nature, and if jail time is a potential penalty, due process generally requires providing a court-appointed attorney for someone who cannot afford one. Civil contempt aims mainly to compel compliance and usually doesn’t involve incarceration, so counsel isn’t always required there. Because imprisonment is possible in some contempt cases, the statement that an indigent defendant may be entitled to a court-appointed attorney is correct.