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"Judge sentences man to 6 months in jail for yawning"

By Douglas A. Berman

The title of this post is te headline of this article from the Chicago Tribune.  Here are the basic details from the start of the artice: Clifton Williams arrived at the Will County Courthouse in Joliet and sat in the fourth-floor courtroom where his cousin was pleading guilty to a felony drug charge. As Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak handed down the cousin's sentence -- 2 years' probation -- Williams, 33, stretched and let out a very ill-timed yawn.Williams' sentence? Six months in jail -- the maximum penalty for criminal contempt without a jury trial. The Richton Park man was locked up July 23 and will serve at least 21 days.  "I was flabbergasted because I didn't realize a judge could do that," said Williams' father, Clifton Williams Sr. "It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sentencing Law and Policy on August 10, 2009 (boomark / email).