[6] This is because Sovereign Citizens are decentralized, with specific methodologies and beliefs governed by local gurus and influencers, as opposed to universal sources of truth. 554, 554 (2013) (explaining how Illinois upgraded the penalty for false title-clouding from a misdemeanor to a felony in an effort to stifle the paper war levied by Sovereign Citizens). [55] These websites likely would not convert individuals already entrenched in the Sovereign ideology. [34] Other sovereign citizens engage in paper terrorism,[35] a much more harmful approach, by filing false court documents, most notably liens,[36] against public officials. They also filed baseless property liens and lawsuits against government officials who tried to have the documents removed. stream [2], The Sovereign Citizen movement originally emanated as an offshoot of far-right political groups such as Posse Comitatus in the early 1970s. 229 19th Ave. South [39] General deterrence is the notion that punishing one offender will discourage others from acting in a similar manner, while specific deterrence relates to the influence punishment has on the targeted individual. Arrogant little twerp meets reality. 18, 2022). uMLL^R[pCd#Dv^7jv4A 0:)srd4)0^UOg5KL1)^Y6?xz%Ib 9Iib+|?mM#z^B(~`Jt +(:hd7N2"$ [62] Sovereign Citizens Movement, supra note 13. So-called 'sovereign citizen' arrested for allegedly inciting others to arrest public officials, New Westralia separatists fined for heritage courthouse damage over 'sovereign state' sit in, Timely reminder: How to respond if you test positive to COVID-19. [5] See, e.g., Id. In March, self-declared sovereign citizens Tony and Micaela Dutson of Tigard, Ore., each received 10 years in prison for evading $7 million in federal taxes through the use of fraudulent trusts and bogus financial instruments, and for filing lawsuits and liens against the investigators who pursued them. 153, 156 (2019) (explaining how the lack of a unifying Sovereign doctrine makes it difficult for courts to consolidate claims contained in Sovereign filings). The copyright of these individual works published by the University of Minnesota Libraries Publishing remains with the original creator or editorial team. [49] More importantly though, pre-filing injunctions are often akin to closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. Many factions exist in the movement, including tax protestors,[43] Moorish Sovereigns,[44] Galactic Sovereigns,[45] and Common Law Court and National Assembly Members. 1106, 1129 (questioning the deterrent impact on the litigiousness of those who do not believe in the validity of the government to begin with). But that has not been enough to slow the growth of the antigovernment movement. [8] Admiralty-Maritime Sovereign Citizens believe that the common law legal system of the founding fathers was swapped for admiralty law when the United States abandoned the gold standard. Civ. Minnesota Law Review [20] Sovereign Citizens Movement, supra note 13. For example, the wake of the COVID epidemic gave rise to contentious disagreements regarding the necessity and extent of various venue restrictions, as well as mask and vaccine mandates. at 154 (detailing how the Sovereign belief system applies to any law at any level of government). [72] This approach targets both attorneys and pro se litigants that have met specific criteria, neutralizing the inevitable argument that restrictions on sovereign citizens are tantamount to discrimination based on political philosophy and creed. [44] Furthermore, recognized Sovereign leaders have demonstrated a steadfastness to their beliefs, even when it results in personal legal difficulties. [42] One infamous example of sovereign citizen violence includes the 1995 Oklahoma City Bombing. E)+2{[CtC-F} zX|rXfG('sNn x,HN}>n[~xQHY{vY:~^}-{}1`oZ ecME5{JLd-x6}iE|/TrKFI\5*Z 3RE5V5:l6z($=M0 hdD0(54iEhykN>Z_&F0"*2Ya2GU=y:\7|7@:F5 -:: o!tNx~r32,\tx|7D_K?x.BOxe'd96c6ce2Wg? Reed was also convicted of threatening a judge. [10] They are anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or sovereign from the United States.[11] Over the past sixty years, several distinct groups evolved and merged to form the modern idea of sovereign citizenship; accordingly, these groups do not belong to a centralized organization with joint leaders or official beliefs but instead share similar broad beliefs about the governments jurisdiction and ability to govern its citizens. According to the FBI, the sovereign citizens movement consists of individuals who are "anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are. To explore this concept, consider the following sovereign citizen definition. The once-isolated political sect has ballooned to over 300,000 followers, and the rapid proliferation of their pseudo-legal ideologies is severely compromising court efficiency. The Georgia property theft cases are only the most recent manifestation of a movement that has swelled rapidly in the last two years, affecting most major law enforcement agencies. An Easton, Conn., woman who says she is a member of the Moorish Science Temple, Fabiola Is Ra El Bey, in January declared her home an independent country and thus not subject to taxation or foreclosure. The FBI picked her up at the White House on a tip from the Secret Service, after she insisted on demanding a meeting with President Donald Trump. (May 1, 2014, 10:20 AM), https://bit.ly/3rAZwnx. [29] Instead, they declare themselves citizens of only their state, or in some cases, simply free people living under God. The inability of another person to sue them in court. %PDF-1.5 % The scheme relied on the "redemption" theory, a sovereign belief that taxpayers can access secret Treasury accounts containing millions of dollars. [38] However, it is questionable whether statutes such as Illinois will generate the desired result on Sovereigns under either general or specific deterrence principles. [44] Sovereign Citizens Movement, supra note 13 (Moorish Sovereigns . Visit us at aetv.com for more info. <> [21] See Mellie Ligon, Comment, The Sovereign Citizen Movement: A comparative Analysis with Similar Foreign Movements and Takeaways for The United States Judicial System, 35 Emory Intl L. Rev. In February, a Sarasota, Fla., homicide detective, Tom Laughlin, was fired after renouncing his U.S. citizenship and claiming he was no longer subject to federal law and not required to pay taxes. Christopher Cannon of Lake County, Ind., went to jail pending trial after claiming that as a member of the Moorish Nation, he wasn't subject to laws requiring a valid license tag on his car. [22] Customers being the operative term, as siphoning the legal knowledge of local gurus usually requires the purchase of packets of template filings,[23] scripts to recite at court appearances,[24] or for the extremely unfortunate, a representation by the Sovereign leader on their behalf. He has refused to pay a $143,840 fine levied by a judge against him in May 2010, as well as an additional $52,120 in October. The once-isolated political sect has ballooned to over 300,000 followers, and the rapid proliferation of their pseudo-legal ideologies is severely compromising court efficiency. [40] See Charles E. Loeser, From Paper Terrorists to Cop Killers; The Sovereign Citizen Threat, 93 N.C. L. Rev. First, it is likely that imposing an injunction on Sovereign Citizens will serve to reinforce their already dismal view of the legal system and government as a whole. An example of a sovereign citizen is someone who refuses to pay his income taxes, and then presents " evidence " as to why he should not have to pay them. Just because you d They may "win" if they ultimately comply, or broke no laws ( freedom of speech and being stupid) is still legal or win if cop is a punk. RICO laws were originally drafted to fight organized crime but now are sometimes applied to other forms of criminal enterprise. Press J to jump to the feed. These defendants truly believe they answer only to themselves. There's a lot of sovereign activity in traffic court, owing to the way they positively ask for interaction with the police by driving with phony plates and so on. They keep digging deeper holes for themselves in quixotic confrontations with authority over everything from taxes to traffic tickets to code enforcement. Suggested Citation: Holly Christensen, The Uses and Abuses of the Judicial System, Penn St. L. ;bL.E;1h|i5^,i+.wE/fQP~S`II>smHc2w&lsBT=7mpRP}`xC:7_:V 0+Pb wg-{sz 4$ [31] Additionally exacerbating is the fact that many hearings involving Sovereigns take place in traffic court, where Sovereign Citizens attempt to defeat their (often relatively inconsequential) citations with arguments such as claiming that they were traveling, not driving,[32] funky Corpus Delicti,[33] and of course, old reliable, lack of jurisdiction. They are unlikely to win a case in court. See supra note 9 and accompanying text. mnlawrev@umn.edu, Home | Contact Publishing Services | My Account. [42], The sovereign citizen movement is broad, varied, and complex. Just like with Q-Anon, followers of an anonymous figure Q who revealed purported secrets about the government and global elite,[60] it can be easy to dismiss sovereign citizens as irrational conspiracy theorists. The sovereign citizen phenomenon is one of the main contemporary sources of pseudolaw: adherents to its ideology notably believe that courts have no actual jurisdiction over people and that the use of certain procedures (such as writing specific phrases on bills they do not want to pay) and loopholes can make one immune from government laws and See Charles E. Loeser, From Paper Terrorists to Cop Killers: The Sovereign Citizen Threat 93 N.C. L. Rev. 21-cr-00386 (D. D.C. 2021), https://bit.ly/3O7jSOU. [37] These liens, which are easy and cheap to file online but time-consuming and expensive to fight,[38] have devastating effects on the ordinary government officials, explaining why they have become sovereign citizens weapon of choice. Fax: (612) 624-5400 [34] These baseless contentions force judges to engage in a maddeningly tedious and circuitous back-and-forth with the Sovereign, leading a proceeding that would ordinarily take a few minutes to extend at nauseam, further displacing already tight dockets. [45] See Loeser, supra note 40, at 1130 (describing how zealous leaders have claimed that jail will not prevent them from continuing to advocate for the Sovereign Citizen cause). [33] This is usually harmlessleading to hundreds of viral videos on the internet showing various law enforcement officials and judges castigating sovereign citizens for their nonsensical legal arguments and briefs. [53] Neitzke v. Williams, 490 U.S. 319, 327 (1989) (To this end, the statute accords judges not only the authority to dismiss a claim based on an indisputably meritless legal theory, but also the unusual power to pierce the veil of the complaints factual allegations and dismiss those claims whose factual contentions are clearly baseless.). endobj Nor may he argue at trial that this court lacks jurisdiction over him because he is a "sovereign citizen" or citizen of the Cherokee nation (he is in fact a U.S. citizen), that the U.S.. They make a certain amount of noise. Depending on the particular strain and variant of the sovereign citizen, details of the governments timing, motivation, and purpose vary. [30], Sovereign citizen arguments often, but not always, include religious elements. A 2015 Kentucky Court of Appeals case ruled one man's argument in appealing a dismissed lawsuit as being so full of nonsensical arguments and mired in "sovereign citizen rhetoric and . [73] Any restriction put on sovereign citizens from having full access to the judicial system has radiating effects that will inevitably harm those who are already overlooked in the legal system. HPZm{O CS*h8 `L31 M!$ )>ny %}5qnv|=t #% u Terry Nichols, one of the perpetrators of the bombing, had used sovereign citizen tactics in court cases and attempted to renounce his citizenship in the years prior to the bombing. From left to right: Ulster County "sovereign citizens" Ed Parenteau, Jeffrey Burfeindt and Richard Ulloa, Local Policing and Immigration Enforcement, Request for Legal Assistance Economic Justice, bogus liens and fraudulent invoices totaling $1.24 trillion. But if you actually go to a hearing in traffic court (instead of paying the scheduled fine on the ticket) lots of things can happen. <>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 612 792] /Contents 4 0 R/Group<>/Tabs/S/StructParents 0>> This comprehensive look at how the action unfolds allows viewers to sit in the courtroom as they witness crazy courtroom moments from the most high-profile trials to minor court proceedings.A\u0026E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, thought provoking original programming with a unique point of view. % In January, a federal grand jury in Detroit indicted David A. Cusumano and Henry Nino on 14 counts of obstructing Internal Revenue Service laws, including the use of worthless "bills of exchange" to pay their taxes. [58] Reportedly, those who both follow Q-Anon and subscribe to the idea of sovereign citizenship believed that the allegedly illegitimate 2020 election would be overthrown and former president Donald Trump would ascend to the presidency as the successor to Ulysses S. Grantthe last legitimate presidentas the 19th president of the United States.[59]. [39] See Goode, supra note 35 (discussing liens filed against the district attorney in Gadsden, Alaska, and describing dealing with these liens as nightmarish). Bauer claims to be a sovereign citizen.[9], The term sovereign citizen is a catch-all phrase referring to several loosely connected groups centered around a similar theme. [24] See, e.g., Marc Stevens, Adventures in Legal Land: Where Black is White and White is Black and Other Shocking Discoveries From Americas Courtrooms (Moses Antonio ed., 2016) (providing scripts and strategies from Sovereign Citizen guru Marc Stevens on how to beat court charges). An example of a sovereign citizen is someone who refuses to pay his income taxes, and then presents evidence as to why he should not have to pay them. 21, 2022), http://www.pennstatelawreview.org/the-forum/sovereign-citizens-the-uses-and-abuses-of-the-judicial-sy/. [27] Kalinowski, supra note 23, at 15758; Sovereign Citizens Movement, supra note 13. hold a concurrent belief that friendly aliens will visit earth and they are actively planning for this occurrence or believe that public officials and other individuals are reptilian aliens.). The legal community can, however, attempt to mitigate the effects sovereign citizens have on the judicial system. Prices of restaurants, food, transportation, utilities and housing are included. [25] See Sullivan, supra note 14, at 798800. [12] Mastrony, supra note 10, at 101721. Sovereign Citizen was created to provide a resource for like minded individuals to learn about (and laugh at) people who have declared themselves "sovereign citizens", especially those who run afoul of the law. kd~UK!\SDgP*i(OQYHl+:[f =>>' Hosted by Dan Abrams, each episode includes interviews with judges, witnesses, and victims who give a first-hand account of what really happened during these intense courtroom moments. This comprehensive look at how the action unfolds allows viewers to sit in the courtroom as they witness crazy courtroom moments from the most high-profile trials to minor court proceedings.A\u0026E leads the cultural conversation through high-quality, thought provoking original programming with a unique point of view. Unsurprisingly, the two represented themselves, rather than hiring attorneys, and claimed they were, essentially, Robin Hoods who stole from the real bank robbers (i.e. Magistrate Walton noted Mr Glew had notentered a plea but had indicated he would plead not guilty to the charge. Some examples of sovereign citizens engaging in dangerous behavior include: Still another example of a sovereign citizen can be found in the case of USA v. Randall Keith-Beane, Heather Ann Tucci-Jarraf, which was concluded in January 2018. And they're incredibly easy to squash. g62ft]iXUWw'5#`[wCDwl|!o7o CdA>ovf) 4&[]bU9`Y`~W3!VY?CPW?T5R;Z%:QxPwQO [10] Moorish Sovereign Citizens adhere to the notion that the 1787 Moroccan American Treaty of Friendship placed all of those with Moroccan descent on an equal footing with the U.S. government. [22] See Sovereign Citizens Movement, supra note 13. Proc. [29] This has led to the case failing to reach a final disposition almost three years down the line. 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