Contempt of Court Act 1981

The Contempt of Court Act 1981 (c. 49) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It codifies some aspects of the common law offence of contempt of court.

Section 8 of the Act provides that it is an offence for a person to ask for or make public any opinions or arguments put forward by a jury member in the course of making a decision. In Northern Ireland, the consent of the Attorney General is required to prosecute this offence. This section now extends only to Scotland and Northern Ireland; it was replaced in England and Wales by section 20D of the Juries Act 1974, as amended by the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015.