WASHINGTON, January 14--A tart suggestion from Justice Jackson that the Supreme Court is trying to psychoanalyze Congress rather than interpret the law climaxed the historic John L. Lewis contempt case as the court took it under advisement late today.
The flare-up came after Attorney General Tom Clark told the court that Lewis' scorning of a Federal Court order, designed to head off last November's coal strike, was an insult to the United States and an invitation to 'mob rule."
An the proceedings drew toward a 4:10 P.M. close, Assistant Attorney General John F. Sonnett was arguing that Federal District Court was right in slapping the $3,510,000 contempt fines on Lewis and the United Mine Workers.
Sonnett sweated under a flurry of questions from the bench. chiefly those of Justice Frankfurter, who was delving into the legislative records of laws involved. Many questions dealt with the intent of Congress.
Justice Jackson broke in and told the harassed, striped-trousered government lawyer that he should devote some argument to what would happen if the courts lacked jurisdiction to issue an injunction in a case like the coal dispute.
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