The "code of silence" brought a suburban murder trial to a halt last summer, when prosecutors attempted to argue that Antonio Aguilar Jr. and Robert Meza shot into a window in west suburban Addison, hoping to hit a rival gang member. Instead, Lorenzo Salazar-Cortez, 22, a bystander with no gang affiliation, was killed. Although Meza had already been sentenced to 45 years in prison for his involvement in the shooting, he still said nothing when he took the stand to testify about Aguilar's involvement. "I apologize, sir, but I cannot answer any questions," Meza said to Judge George Bakalis via the Huffington Post. more ›

A Richton Park man found out the hard way you do not yawn in Will County Circuit Judge Daniel Rozak's courtroom. Clifton Williams was attending the hearing of a cousin when he yawned in the courtroom and earned himself a six-month jail sentence from Rozak; he'll serve at least 21 days. The Trib did a little digging and it seems that Judge Rozak may be a bit over-zealous when it comes to handing out contempt of court sentences: he has accounted for over a third of contempt charges in Will County in the last 10 years. more ›

A few weeks ago, Chicago Police Superintendent Jody Weis refused to hand over to a judge a list of Chicago Police officers who have had five or more citizen complaints filed against them since 2000. The judge demanded the list in connection to a lawsuit against a current officer for using excessive force. Mayor Daley publicly sided with Weis, saying of the officers on the list, "These are public servants. I believe [Weis] is doing the right thing.” But now a federal judge is holding Weis in contempt of court for his refusal and ordered Weis to release the list by 8:45 a.m. Monday morning. Jennifer Hoyle, spokeswoman for the city’s Law Department, said, "It wasn't a surprise to us. We expected, based on the circumstances, this was a possible outcome. We are working with Supt. Weis and the police department to determine how we will respond to this.” more ›