Man Jailed for Yawning in Court

An Illinois man has been sentenced to six months in jail for yawning in court. The yawn was described as "a loud and boisterous attempt to disrupt the proceedings" according to the state's attorney's office.

The Chicago Tribune reported that Clifton Williams sat in the Will County Courthouse in Joliet as his cousin was being sentenced. When Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak handed down his sentence, Williams stretched and yawned. The judge quickly delivered the maximum penalty for criminal contempt without a jury trial.

"I was flabbergasted because I didn't realize a judge could do that," Williams' father, Clifton Williams Sr., said. "It seems to me like a yawn is an involuntary action."

Jason Mayfield, the cousin of Williams who was pleading guilty at the time, said it was "not an outrageous yawn."

After a review of records The Tribune reported that Judge Rozak has sentenced more people with contempt-of-court charges than his peers.

Yawning is commonly understood to be an involuntary action associated with drowsiness, or at times depression . A 2007 study also found that yawning acts as a brain-cooling mechanism .

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