I guess the question here is whether there is any need for a meta-meta-judicial system, given that court orders by and large already have a path of appeal, and

I guess the question here is whether there is any need for a meta-meta-judicial system, given that court orders by and large already have a path of appeal, and that most orders that lead to contempt charges cause no irreparable harm. This case is a perfect example. All he has to do to be freed of house arrest is turn over his devices. He has this objection about attorney client privilege, which he may prevail on (though it doesn't seem likely). But he or his client could always seek later judicial remedy in the unlikely event that that privilege is violated as a result of Chevron's searching for evidence related to this case. It's also worth noting the protracted nature of his confinement is partly due to a lot of legal wrangling that's been going on, not all of it on the side of the court. For example, the trial was scheduled to occur in September last year, but Donziger's lawyer asked that it be postponed because they didn't want to have it virtually.