Bizarre, Courts, Criminal law, Lawyering, Society

Illinois Judge Sentences Man to Six Months in Jail for Yawning Loudly in Court

1249939144314.JPEGCircuit Judge Daniel Rozak obviously does not like yawning in the courtroom. He sentenced Clifton Williams to six months in jail after he let out a loud yawn when his cousin was being sentenced on a felony drug charge. The cousin actually received probation.

The incident occurred in the Will County Courthouse in Joliet.
The judge (and the prosecutor) believed that the yawn was an intentional effort to disrupt the proceedings. However, the Tribune has found that Rozak routinely jails people for everything from cellphone calls to speaking loudly. Indeed, of the 30 judges in the 12th Judicial Circuit, he is responsible for one-third of the contempt charges.

I am very sympathetic to the judge’s effort to respond to disruptions and this may have been a rather transparent effort to interrupt the proceedings or mock the court. However, six months is a ridiculous sentence and Rozak is clearly too-quick-on-the-trigger with contempt sanctions.

I am also curious how Rozak can eliminate the possibility of an involuntary yawn as a matter of intent. There is a big difference between shouting in a courtroom — which is clearly voluntary — and a yawn that (while suspicious) could be innocent.

He is not alone in such excessive responses to courtroom misconduct, here and here and here and here.

For the full story, click here.

85 thoughts on “Illinois Judge Sentences Man to Six Months in Jail for Yawning Loudly in Court”

  2. donatella: …”right … wired… ”

    He has the right as verified by the local law enforcement. This is the second instance of a gun at a town hall. If he’s not Secret Service (I’d assume they would be more subtle if he’s undercover) then he IMO a fool even if he is exercising legal rights and political ‘speech’.

    I object to the intimidation factor of being on the opposite side of an argument (or street with a sign) with someone that has not only a sign but a gun. If the fringe of the fringe are so emboldened as to carry a gun to a debate then I don’t see it being too long before someone from that fringe starts shooting. I like a little political theater as much as the next guy and if he was spied with a cooler full of whipped-cream pies I get a good laugh out of it. Pies are fun; guns kill people so I take a bit harder line about them.

  3. Oh my, now it’s with threats again! Tsk, tsk, tsk. Keep stirring up crap and see how this works out for you, Ms. Edited Out More Often For Content Than Any Other Regular. Other than Bron, who is banned, you have that distinction, Patty. You earned that stat the old fashioned way too.

    Yet we’re the likely ones to get censured or booted. Over you attack us. Uh huh.

    Don’t forget I was one of the lucky ones who got to read your last nearly psychotic scree against Jill and AY before the Prof took it down. It either was or wasn’t one of your finer moments. Since it was removed, I am thinking it was approaching the not so fine.

    Thanks for proving every time you post an attack, Princess, you only hurt yourself more. Good show.

    Let me put it to you this way: You keep attacking regulars without provocation, against the express wishes of our host (let alone your chances of success) and then make no bones about the attacks being aimed solely at getting one or more of us banned or censured for your satisfying your personal vendetta in a space that is not your personal space to begin with no matter how much you think and act like it is.

    That sums it up nicely.

    Hmmm. But we’re going to get shown the door. Riiight.

    Again, you should walk away. You fail to realize that you cannot win this battle not because of individual skill of the combatants, but because you attack from the weakest position possible. You are breaking the “one rule” here (as Vince puts it) and yet you seem to think the one’s you’ve attacked will be the ones punished. That’s some interesting logic and legal reasoning. I’ve never seen the Prof punish someone for defending themselves, either from regulars, guests or trolls. I have seen him punish people for repeatedly attacking regulars out of bounds of his requests for civility. Namely you. More than once.

    Do you really think either AY or myself are the most likely to draw ire in this circumstance given you’ve done nothing today but foam at the mouth? Really? That’s weak pattern analysis from either a scientist or a lawyer.

    I think also shows just exactly how much you respect our host and his stated wishes.

    None.

    I’ll be over here awaiting my banishment, Princess. In truth, he wouldn’t have to ban me should you convince him to do so. All he needs to do is ask me to leave. I’ll go and never post again.

    Because unlike you, I respect our host’s wishes.

    I have a suspicion that it’s going to be a long wait.

  5. Jill 1, August 11, 2009 at 6:11 pm

    A.Y.,

    IMO, I think there is something wrong with this story–it doesn’t hang together very well. We are seeing a pagent staged for us all so that we hopefully won’t realize there will be no real health care reform, only a good deal for the insurance/pharmaceutical industry.
    ************************

    Besides the Banks the Pharmaceutical companies own congress. The next is the Medical Profession. I say give it 10 years and the Health Care field will collapse as bad as the Auto Industry.

  6. Oh my spellin, spellin must have a inferior education. One whom proclaims such distane for errors on post for the same, should be ashamed. Fer Shame, Fer Shame, Fer Shame, What’d you say Sarge?

    But then again he lives in Hawaii raising nuts. Maybe some made it to the upper east coast.

  7. A.Y.,

    IMO, I think there is something wrong with this story–it doesn’t hang together very well. We are seeing a pagent staged for us all so that we hopefully won’t realize there will be no real health care reform, only a good deal for the insurance/pharmaceutical industry.

  8. donatella,

    In America we have the right to bear arms even if a president happens to be in town. So many Americans are afraid to even use their rights nowadays. It’s really sad. What do we have them for?

    *************************

    You may have that right, but I will assure you the Secret Service has other ideals in place for you. Whether it be, being shot or detained until they finish up the psychological profile on you. They are even so kind as to interview you friends, family, employers, your banks, credit card companies. Now, the question comes down to this, Do you wish to exercise this right?

    For some strange reason you can carry a registered hand gun into a bar in Texas so long as you have a permit to carry. Do I want to be in a bar where drunks are being served alcohol beverages, that has a loaded hand gun. HELL NO. Easy enough for me.

    I did have the experience to have a trained sniper take aim at me when George the First and Ronnie were in Austin at the same time. For some reason they took umbrage that we wanted to watch them from the roof of a building that was 5 stories tall and they were in the Hyatt 22 stories high. At that time I did not wish to die so I complied.

  9. lottakatz: Did you notice the man has an earpiece? I had to watch it twice, but the man with a gun has a clear winded earpiece, seems fishy.

  10. Keep it up AY, you, a;lon gwith Buddha will soon see the door to the street – again…

    You must be soooo proud…

  11. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, your exit is soon, I assure you, you are a twit. Take this garbage back to 3rd grade, when you are allowed to repeat the same, again, again and again.

  12. lottakatz:

    “Srsly, the nuts are out in force”

    In America we have the right to bear arms even if a president happens to be in town. So many Americans are afraid to even use their rights nowadays. It’s really sad. What do we have them for?

  14. JT hasn’t ‘gone’ anywhere…

    He’s here even more so than usual – on ‘vaca’…

    We don’t need a patrol now or ever, FFLEO!

    Get with the turlee program… ;P

  15. Well it appears that Jack is not the only one occupying space. I am offended that someone would utilize this space to state such asinine juvenile similes. But what can you expect when you have a self proclaimed “Original Turlee Blawger” doing the same? It would not surprise me that that was the very same person who shows such distane for others on the Blawg.

    But then again, she who shrieks the loudest reminds me of a sister that I used to speak with. But the pocket on my suit got ripped and that has been it since.

    Mike S., I am surprised that you would even lower yourself to respond to such remarks. They made about as much sense in 4th grade as they do now. We are just smarter than that now as we know we don’t have to laugh to fit in.

  16. Unfortunately, this is a good reason why Prof. Turley should not announce his vacations until he returns from them, or leave V.T. Mike A. or Mespo in charge of security.

  18. Jack don’t know ‘jack’

    He’s just clogging up limited and precious turlee space.

    Must be coming from an Internet cafe, n’est ce pas, Jacques?

  19. Jack,
    I’m glad you find yourself so amusing, I think you’re hilarious.

  20. Mike, why don’t you back to giving helmet to buddhaspank. Mespo was blogging earlier and said you give better helmet than his sister.

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