[legion]

This judge has a reputation for doing this. I'm not saying that the yawning wasn't out of line, just that it probably didn't deserve six months in jail.

A local article on this stated that since this judge was seated on the bench, almost two thirds of contempt charges in that county have come from this judge, and they tend to be far more severe than those of his peers.

As an aside, most counties in Illinois have "retention"-style elections for judges. Once voted in, enough people have to vote against retaining a judge for their even to be an election. Most judges never face election again once voted in. I always vote against retaining all judges because I feel they should periodically be forced to defend their record. That, and it's just about impossible to find any public information on a specific judge unless they are running for election.