Sovereign citizen movement
Encyclopedia
The sovereign citizen movement is a loose network of American
litigants, commentators and financial scheme promoters, classified as an "extremist anti-government group" by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Self-described "sovereign citizens" take the position that they are answerable only to common law
and are not subject to any statutes or proceedings at the federal, state or municipal levels, or that they do not recognize U.S. currency and that they are "free of any legal constraints."
They especially reject most forms of taxation as illegitimate. Participants in the movement argue this concept in opposition to "federal citizens," who, they believe, have unknowingly forfeited their rights by accepting some aspect of federal law.
minister William P. Gale. The concept has influenced the tax protester
movement, the Christian Patriot movement, and the redemption movement
—the last of which includes claims that the U.S. government has enslaved its citizens by using them as collateral against foreign debt. Supporters sell instructions explaining how to "free" oneself by filing particular government forms in a particular order using particular wording.
Gale identified the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
as the act that converted sovereign citizens into federal citizens by agreeing to a contract to accept benefits from the federal government. Other commentators have identified other acts, including the Uniform Commercial Code
, the Emergency Banking Act
, the Zone Improvement Plan, and the supposed suppression of the Titles of Nobility Amendment
.
has included "free born" or "sovereign" citizenship in its list of frivolous claims that may result in a $5000 penalty when used as the basis for an inaccurate tax return.
A 2010 publication from the Southern Poverty Law Center
(SPLC) estimated that approximately 100,000 Americans are "hard-core sovereign believers", and that another 200,000 are "just starting out by testing sovereign techniques for resisting everything from speeding tickets to drug charges".
In March 2011, a "reputed national leader" and "guru" in the sovereign citizen movement named Samuel Lynn Davis pleaded guilty to 31 counts of money laundering in Federal district court in Nevada. Davis was snared in a sting operation after he agreed to launder more than $1.29 million in what he believed to be illicit funds. Davis accepted $73,782 fees to launder the money, not realizing he was dealing with Federal law enforcement agents. In October 2011, Davis was sentenced to four years and nine months in Federal prison, and was ordered to pay over $95,000 in restitution.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
litigants, commentators and financial scheme promoters, classified as an "extremist anti-government group" by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Self-described "sovereign citizens" take the position that they are answerable only to common law
Common law
Common law is law developed by judges through decisions of courts and similar tribunals rather than through legislative statutes or executive branch action...
and are not subject to any statutes or proceedings at the federal, state or municipal levels, or that they do not recognize U.S. currency and that they are "free of any legal constraints."
They especially reject most forms of taxation as illegitimate. Participants in the movement argue this concept in opposition to "federal citizens," who, they believe, have unknowingly forfeited their rights by accepting some aspect of federal law.
History
The "sovereign citizen" concept may have originated in the Posse Comitatus movement as a teaching of Christian IdentityChristian Identity
Christian Identity is a label applied to a wide variety of loosely affiliated believers and churches with a racialized theology. Many promote a Eurocentric interpretation of Christianity.According to Chester L...
minister William P. Gale. The concept has influenced the tax protester
Tax protester (United States)
A tax protester is someone who refuses to pay a tax on constitutional or legal grounds, typically because he or she believes that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid...
movement, the Christian Patriot movement, and the redemption movement
Redemption movement
The redemption movement consists of supporters of an American conspiracy theory. Redemption theory involves claims that when the U.S. government abandoned the gold standard in 1933, the government pledged its citizens as collateral so that the government could borrow money...
—the last of which includes claims that the U.S. government has enslaved its citizens by using them as collateral against foreign debt. Supporters sell instructions explaining how to "free" oneself by filing particular government forms in a particular order using particular wording.
Gale identified the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
as the act that converted sovereign citizens into federal citizens by agreeing to a contract to accept benefits from the federal government. Other commentators have identified other acts, including the Uniform Commercial Code
Uniform Commercial Code
The Uniform Commercial Code , first published in 1952, is one of a number of uniform acts that have been promulgated in conjunction with efforts to harmonize the law of sales and other commercial transactions in all 50 states within the United States of America.The goal of harmonizing state law is...
, the Emergency Banking Act
Emergency Banking Act
The Emergency Banking Act was an act of the United States Congress spearheaded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression. It was passed on March 9, 1933...
, the Zone Improvement Plan, and the supposed suppression of the Titles of Nobility Amendment
Titles of Nobility amendment
The Titles of Nobility Amendment was proposed as an amendment to the United States Constitution in 1810. Upon approval of a resolution offered by U.S. Senator Philip Reed of Maryland, during the 2nd Session of the 11th Congress, TONA was submitted to the state legislatures for ratification...
.
Legal status and membership
Variations of the argument that an individual is "sovereign" have been rejected by the courts, especially in tax cases such as United States v. Hart, Risner v. Commissioner, Maxwell v. Snow, Rowe v. Internal Revenue Serv., Heitman v. Idaho State Tax Commission, Cobin v. Commissioner, and Glavin v. United States. The Internal Revenue ServiceInternal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
has included "free born" or "sovereign" citizenship in its list of frivolous claims that may result in a $5000 penalty when used as the basis for an inaccurate tax return.
A 2010 publication from the Southern Poverty Law Center
Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center is an American nonprofit civil rights organization noted for its legal victories against white supremacist groups; legal representation for victims of hate groups; monitoring of alleged hate groups, militias and extremist organizations; and educational programs that...
(SPLC) estimated that approximately 100,000 Americans are "hard-core sovereign believers", and that another 200,000 are "just starting out by testing sovereign techniques for resisting everything from speeding tickets to drug charges".
In March 2011, a "reputed national leader" and "guru" in the sovereign citizen movement named Samuel Lynn Davis pleaded guilty to 31 counts of money laundering in Federal district court in Nevada. Davis was snared in a sting operation after he agreed to launder more than $1.29 million in what he believed to be illicit funds. Davis accepted $73,782 fees to launder the money, not realizing he was dealing with Federal law enforcement agents. In October 2011, Davis was sentenced to four years and nine months in Federal prison, and was ordered to pay over $95,000 in restitution.
See also
- 2010 West Memphis police shootings2010 West Memphis police shootingsTwo police officers in West Memphis, Arkansas were shot and killed during a traffic stop on May 20, 2010. Police identified two suspects - Jerry R. Kane Jr. and his son Joseph T. Kane. The two were later identified as members of the Sovereign citizen movement....
- Redemption movementRedemption movementThe redemption movement consists of supporters of an American conspiracy theory. Redemption theory involves claims that when the U.S. government abandoned the gold standard in 1933, the government pledged its citizens as collateral so that the government could borrow money...
- Schaeffer CoxSchaeffer CoxSchaeffer Cox is an American political activist, the founder of the Alaska Peacemakers Militia.Cox was an attendee of Continental Congress 2009. He was also an organizing member of the Fairbanks based Second Amendment Task Force...
- Tax protester (United States)Tax protester (United States)A tax protester is someone who refuses to pay a tax on constitutional or legal grounds, typically because he or she believes that the tax laws are unconstitutional or otherwise invalid...