https://www.overlawyered.com/2009/08/judge-sentences-man-to-6-months-in-jail-for-yawning/ Chronicling the high cost of our legal system Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:17:03 +0000 hourly 1 https://www.overlawyered.com/2009/08/judge-sentences-man-to-6-months-in-jail-for-yawning/comment-page-1/#comment-66996 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 20:17:03 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/?p=13160#comment-66996 Political speech that should be protected. Judges need to be stripped of much of this “contempt” power. They need to remember that the court room belongs to tax paying citizens, not the cross dressing tyrants who sit in the high chair.

]]> https://www.overlawyered.com/2009/08/judge-sentences-man-to-6-months-in-jail-for-yawning/comment-page-1/#comment-66625 Sat, 15 Aug 2009 00:10:20 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/?p=13160#comment-66625 He was interviewed on local news yesterday when he was released. Apparently it was a somewhat exaggerated yawn, and quite loud, not just an involuntary yawn at his cousin’s plea bargain.

]]> https://www.overlawyered.com/2009/08/judge-sentences-man-to-6-months-in-jail-for-yawning/comment-page-1/#comment-66391 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:04:42 +0000 http://overlawyered.com/?p=13160#comment-66391 I read this story a couple of days ago (via Drudge I believe). Of course I wasn’t there. So, I can only imagine how the events played out. My suspicions are that the guy who yawned didn’t just open his mouth, politely cover it with his hand, make a gentle “ywhaaa” sounds, and go about his business. I suspect that the gesture may have been voluntary, superfluous, and intended as a “screw you and your pathetic sentences” to the court. Additionally, anyone who comes before this judge surely knows (or should have known) of 1) his intolerance of shenanigans and 2) his pattern of old-west summary punishments. Why test it? Political speech? I bet he’ll never do that again. Does the punishment fit the offense? I’ll leave that for another day.

]]>