Why Would Someone Be Held In Contempt By A Court
I stumbled upon an article about an Illinois man that was found in contempt of court for yawning too loudly. The man spent three weeks locked up. I think everyone would agree that when in a court room you should conduct yourself in a respectful manner. If you spend anytime in a court room you will find that often times lawyers, staff, defendants and their family members sometimes fall short of the proper behavior. But finding someone in contempt of court and jailing them for three weeks for yawning is arrogant and abusive. You wouldn't think something like that could happen in an American court. But it does. It reminded me of a client I represented about 10 years ago who was found in contempt of court while on the first floor of the courthouse, not anywhere near the courtroom. He was jailed for a weekend. Luckily, we were able to free him after filing a writ.