Kara Sears
The sovereign citizen movement is an anti-government extremist ideology that believes in the illegitimacy of the current government and its rules. Adherents believe in the superiority of their own interpretation of common law, which they claim is the original legal system established by US founders. This belief system has led to the creation of `common law` courts and militias of self-appointed sheriffs to handle internal disputes. Sovereign citizens often use unconventional vocabulary and legal jargon to avoid what they perceive as contracts with the government, such as using I comprehend instead of I understand to avoid acknowledging the police's authority. They also believe that there is a legal way to opt out of the current legal system through specific phrases and the filing of documents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Sovereign citizens' beliefs about the law | They believe that the original US government was secretly replaced by an illegitimate government in the 1800s. |
| They believe that the 14th Amendment caused Americans to become federal citizens instead of sovereign ones. | |
| They believe that the US is a corporation and that the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) is the effective law of the land. | |
| They believe that there is a legal way to opt out of the current legal system by filing documents and ending "contracts" with the government. | |
| Sovereign citizens' behaviour | They use unusual vocabulary and twist the meaning of legal terms for their convenience. |
| They set up their own "common law courts", which are devoid of legal authority, to handle matters regarding movement members. | |
| They issue bogus arrest warrants for US officials. | |
| They use fraudulent debt and tax payment schemes. | |
| They print their own currency, believing the dollar to be invalid. | |
| They ask law enforcement officers for their "Oath of Office," which they believe officers are required to carry. | |
| They refer to their vehicles as "conveyances" to avoid legal requirements and responsibilities. | |
| They refuse to sign citations, believing that they have "no contract" with the government. | |
| They occasionally carry documents that they claim prove their sovereign status. | |
| Sovereign citizens' terminology | They refer to themselves as "constitutionalists", "freemen", "natural people", "living people", "private persons", "secured party creditors", or people "seeking the truth" or "living on the land". |
| They refer to their process of formalizing their "declarations of sovereignty" as "asseveration". |
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What You'll Learn
Sovereign citizens believe they are above the law
Sovereign citizens are individuals who believe that they are not bound by government rules and regulations. They are part of a growing movement that threatens police and law enforcement worldwide. Sovereign citizens believe that they are above the law and are not subject to the same rules as everyone else. This belief system has led to violent confrontations with police in several countries, including Australia and the United States. The FBI has described the movement as "domestic terrorism" and its followers as "anti-government extremists".
The sovereign citizen movement is based on the idea that the original US government, which its adherents refer to as "'common law', was secretly replaced by an illegitimate government sometime in the 1800s. Sovereign citizens believe that they can opt out of the current legal system by filing certain documents and ending "'contracts'" with the government, such as driving licences. They often print and carry documents that they claim prove their status as sovereign citizens.
Sovereign citizens often use unusual vocabulary and twist the meanings of legal terms to suit their convenience. For example, they may avoid saying "I understand" and instead say "I comprehend" as they believe that "understand" acknowledges the authority of the police. They also have their own "'common law courts'" and militias of self-appointed "sheriffs" to handle matters within the movement. These courts are not legally recognised and are often used to formalise members' "declarations of sovereignty".
The movement has influenced other extremist groups, including the tax protester and Christian Patriot movements. One of its most famous adopters was Oklahoma City bombing conspirator Terry Nichols, who filed numerous frivolous lawsuits against the government. Sovereign citizens have also been linked to violent incidents, such as the 2010 West Memphis police shootings, where a father-and-son pair who identified as sovereign citizens opened fire on police officers during a traffic stop.
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They reject the legitimacy of the government
Sovereign citizens are a growing movement of people who believe that they are "sovereign" and separate from the country they reside in. They reject the legitimacy of the government and its laws, believing that they do not have to abide by them. This belief system often leads to violent confrontations with law enforcement and has been labelled "domestic terrorism" by the FBI.
The sovereign citizen movement is based on the ideology that the original government set up by the US founders, which they refer to as "'common law', was secretly replaced by an illegitimate government in the 1800s. They believe that this illegitimate government has no authority over them and that they are bound only by their interpretation of common law. This belief has led to the creation of self-appointed "sheriffs" and "'common law courts', which are used to handle matters within the movement and are devoid of any legal authority.
Sovereign citizens often use unusual vocabulary and twist the meaning of legal terms to suit their convenience. For example, they may refer to their "conveyance" rather than their "vehicle" because they believe that the term "vehicle" implies legal requirements such as registration and insurance, which they want to avoid. They may also refuse to say "I understand" to law enforcement, instead saying "I comprehend", as they believe that "understand" acknowledges the authority of the police.
The movement has been linked to extremist and anti-government groups, including the Posse Comitatus, Christian Identity, and militia movements. It has also influenced the tax protester and Christian Patriot movements. Some sovereign citizens have been involved in violent incidents, such as the 2010 West Memphis police shootings and the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.
The sovereign citizen movement is a concern for law enforcement and counter-terrorism organisations due to its potential for violence and its rejection of the legitimacy of the government and the rule of law.
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They use unusual vocabulary to avoid joinder
The sovereign citizen movement is a loose collection of anti-government activists, conspiracy theorists, vexatious litigants, tax protesters, and financial scammers. They are mainly found in English-speaking common-law countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and New Zealand. Sovereign citizens have a pseudolegal belief system based on their own interpretation of common law. They claim that they are not subject to any government statutes unless they consent to them.
Sovereign citizens often use an unusual vocabulary and twist the meaning of legal terms or common phrases for their convenience. They believe that certain expressions can create "joinder", which would enter them into a "contract" with the government and place them under its jurisdiction. To avoid this, they will use alternative phrasing. For example, when dealing with the police, instead of saying "I understand", sovereign citizens will say "I comprehend". They believe that the word "understand" acknowledges that one "stands under the jurisdiction", thus recognizing the police's authority.
Sovereign citizens also use unusual vocabulary and formatting in their pseudolegal documents. These documents may include maxims in Latin, thumbprints, stamps, unconventional legalese, and signatures or initials in red ink or blood. They may also spell their names in unusual ways or with punctuation, such as "John of the family Doe" instead of "John Doe". This is done to dissociate oneself from the "straw man", or the legal fiction of a person that sovereign citizens believe is created by their birth certificate. By adding the Latin phrase "sui juris" (meaning "of one's own right") to their names on legal documents, sovereign citizens aim to reserve all the rights to which they are entitled as free people.
The use of unusual vocabulary and pseudolegal tactics is part of the broader strategy of sovereign citizens to reject government authority and create their own parallel legal system. They regard themselves as bound only by their own interpretation of common law and have set up self-appointed "sheriffs" and "common law courts" to handle matters within the movement. These "courts" are devoid of legal authority but are used to formalize the "declarations of sovereignty" of movement members.
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They set up their own common law courts
The sovereign citizen movement is a growing group of people who believe that they are not bound by the laws of the land and do not recognise the legitimacy of the government. Sovereign citizens believe that the original US government, which they refer to as "common law", was secretly replaced by an illegitimate government in the 1800s. They believe that there is a legal way to opt out of the current legal system by filing documents and ending "contracts" with the government, such as driving licences.
Sovereign citizens often use unusual vocabulary and twist the meaning of legal terms to suit their convenience. For example, they may avoid saying "I understand" and instead say "I comprehend", as they believe that "understand" acknowledges the authority of the police. They regard themselves as bound only by their own interpretation of common law and have set up their own "common law courts" to handle matters within the movement. These courts, which have no legal authority, are used to formalise the "declarations of sovereignty" of movement members.
In addition to setting up their own courts, sovereign citizens have also been known to set up militias of self-appointed "sheriffs" and issue bogus arrest warrants for US officials. They may also use complex legal-sounding arguments to confuse and distract law enforcement, such as asking for an officer's "Oath of Office", which they do not actually need to carry. Sovereign citizens may also refuse to refer to their vehicle as a "vehicle", instead calling it a "conveyance" to avoid the legal requirements associated with vehicles.
The sovereign citizen movement has been labelled as "domestic terrorism" by the FBI, and its members are considered "anti-government extremists". The movement has influenced other extremist groups, including the tax protester and Christian Patriot movements, and has been associated with violent incidents such as the 2010 West Memphis police shootings and the 2022 Wieambilla shootings.
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Sovereign citizens are considered a domestic terrorist threat
Sovereign citizens often use unique vocabulary and twist the meanings of legal terms to suit their convenience. They may set up militias of self-appointed "sheriffs" and "common law courts" to handle matters within the movement. These courts, which have no legal authority, are used to formalize members' "declarations of sovereignty". Sovereign citizens have been known to engage in financial scams, impersonate law enforcement officials, and threaten them with violence. Since 2000, lone-wolf sovereign-citizen extremists have killed six law enforcement officers.
The movement is scattered across the United States and lacks established leadership. Members come together in loosely affiliated groups to train, socialize, and discuss their ideology. The Internet, economic downturns, and seminars that spread their ideology and teach fraudulent methods of debt relief contribute to the growth of the movement. Sovereign citizens have been involved in white-collar crimes, such as tax evasion and conspiracy fraud, and even when imprisoned, they continue criminal activity.
Law enforcement agencies must be knowledgeable about sovereign citizens and their tactics to protect themselves from the group's threatening behavior. The FBI and other agencies have advised officers on how to deal with sovereign citizens during encounters like traffic stops to mitigate the risks of violence.
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Frequently asked questions
Sovereign citizens are people who believe that they are not bound by the laws of the land and do not recognise the legitimacy of the government. They believe that the original US government was secretly replaced by an illegitimate one in the 1800s.
Sovereign citizens refer to the original government set up by the US founders as "common law". They believe that there is a legal way to opt out of the current legal system by filing documents and ending "contracts" with the government.
Sovereign citizens are bound only by their own interpretation of common law. They have set up militias of self-appointed "sheriffs" and ""common-law courts" to handle matters regarding movement members. These courts are devoid of legal authority but are used to formalise the "declarations of sovereignty" of members.
Sovereign citizens use unusual vocabulary to avoid what they think would create joinder, or a "contract" with the government. For example, they avoid saying "I understand" and instead say "I comprehend", as they believe that "understand" acknowledges that one is "standing under the jurisdiction". They also do not refer to their vehicles as "vehicles" but as "conveyances" to avoid the legal requirements that come with owning a vehicle.
