On the day he announced he would not seek re-election, District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal found out he is also facing a federal court hearing for contempt. A judge’s order for a contempt hearing came Wednesday night not long after Rosenthal ended his re-election bid for the office he's held for eight years.

Legal experts call this type of hearing, quasi-criminal.

Something that could lead to sanctions from the court and formal criminal charges down the line.

All of this is for allegedly destroying e-mails subpoenaed in a federal court case. The e-mails that are the intimate communication between Rosenthal and his executive assistant.

Technically, that could amount to intentional destruction of evidence.

In his contempt motion, attorney Lloyd Kelley wrote, “Chuck Rosenthal has now admitted under oath that Mr. Rosenthal sat down at his computer and began deleting the requested e-mails.”

In his order calling for a hearing Federal Judge Kenneth Hoyt ruled: “The court has reviewed the motion and determines that there appears to be merit to the motion.”

That hearing is scheduled for Jan. 31 at 9 a.m.