A Judge's finding that President Clinton gave false testimony about his relations with the former White House intern, Ms Monica Lewinsky, is embarrassing for him but may have little practical effect.
The finding is being hailed by Republican opponents as a vindication of their impeachment of Mr Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. But the Senate later failed to muster a two-thirds majority to find him guilty.
The White House had no immediate comment on the ruling by Judge Susan Webber Wright, who is a former law student of Mr Clinton. She ruled that he gave "intentionally false" testimony when he denied that he had been alone with Ms Lewinsky or had sexual relations with her.
This false testimony took place when he gave evidence in the discovery phase of the Paula Jones civil action against him for alleged sexual harassment which Judge Webber Wright later dismissed. The judge pointed out in her ruling that seven months later Mr Clinton admitted to a grand jury that he had had an "inappropriate and wrong" relationship with Ms Lewinsky.
She said: "It appears that the President is asserting that Ms Lewinsky could be having sex with him while, at the same time, he was not having sex with her."
In addition to citing the President for civil contempt, the judge fined Mr Clinton $1,202 as her travelling expenses to Washington for his deposition in the Paula Jones case. He is also liable for the costs of Ms Jones's lawyers, and his contempt has been referred to the legal professional body in Arkansas, which could disqualify Mr Clinton from practising there as an attorney after his Presidency.
Judge Webber Wright noted that no president has ever been cited for contempt of court, but she found "no constitutional barrier" to doing so. She gave him 30 days to file an appeal, but warned him that this would mean a full hearing with witnesses.
Before Judge Webber Wright's ruling, Mr Clinton had welcomed the acquittal by a court in Little Rock of Ms Susan McDougal on a charge of obstruction of justice. She had refused to testify against Mr Clinton in the Whitewater investigation by Mr Ken Starr and had served 18 months in jail for contempt of court.