State ex rel. Groppi v. Leslie

In State ex rel. Groppi v. Leslie, 44 Wis. 2d 282, 171 N.W.2d 192 (Wis. 1969), Groppi was found in contempt by the Assembly of the Wisconsin Legislature. The Assembly "ordered his imprisonment for the duration of the 1969 regular session of the Wisconsin legislature, or for six months, whichever occurred earlier." Id. at 194. In upholding the sentence, the Wisconsin Supreme Court explained: "We are not overlooking Bloom, wherein the Supreme Court after some years of staving off an insistent attack on the summary power of the courts in judicial contempt held in one sweep of the sword that in matters involving imprisonment of over six months in direct judicial contempts, the contemnor was entitled to a jury trial." Id. at 199.