What is a Sovereign Citizen?

A Sovereign Citizen is a person who subscribes to a fringe ideology that they are not subject to government laws or authority. 

This belief system asserts that individuals can declare themselves sovereign and thereby become exempt from federal, state, and local laws, including the obligation to pay taxes, adhere to traffic laws, or comply with the court system. 

Sovereign Citizens often argue that the government operates illegally and that they are governed only by common law, which they interpret as the laws of contract or “natural law,” not statutory laws created by modern governments.

Many of the so-called Sovereign Citizen (SC) preachers have mastered the art of confusing and manipulating people into buying into their twisted interpretation of the law. They paint a picture where, if you declare yourself a Sovereign Citizen, the government, courts, or “the man” have no jurisdiction over you. 

This is one of their major selling points, and it’s easy to see how someone might be misrepresented, especially if they have little experience with the legal system. They’ll say things like, “The court doesn’t have jurisdiction over you because you’re a Sovereign Citizen” or “You can claim lack of jurisdiction at any time, and they’ll have to dismiss your case.” 

Sovereign Citizens often claim that by declaring themselves “sovereign,” courts somehow lose jurisdiction over them. They argue that by filing certain documents or refusing to recognize the court’s authority, they can challenge jurisdiction and escape legal consequences. These arguments are “BULLSHIT”and misleading, and they twist the legitimate concept of jurisdiction into something it’s not.