Sovereign citizens is the name given to a category of right-wing extremists. It is generally made up of loosely affiliated individuals who believe that the government has no authority over them except in cases where either they agree to follow the laws of the jurisdiction they are in or the Sovereign has given express approval of the law - as in they voted for it. You might say to yourself: “that doesn’t make any sense” and you would be right, but that is a virtual constant when looking at sovereign ideas.
WHO CARES WHAT THEY THINK?
If you work for the government then you should care what they think. You see, you are part of the problem from the viewpoint of the sovereign citizen. In the best case a sovereign will attempt to explain this to you. In the worst case a sovereign may attempt to kill you. Tragically there have been multiple examples where sovereigns have murdered law enforcement officers since 2010.
What about traffic laws?
The sovereign might tell you that those laws are enforceable, but only when a vehicle is engaged in commerce. Therefore on a traffic stop if they are not acting as a taxi or a commercial vehicle they believe they are unable to be cited for any traffic violations.
How about taxes?
Sovereigns believe that the Founding Fathers did not allow the government to tax the American people, so those taxes you are paying are either optional or go towards your own personal treasury account which holds your money until you access it. As with most things in the sovereign movement, the value of your treasury account varies. Some say it contains several hundred thousand dollars and some claim it contains millions. Regardless, it is enough for the average person to pay their bills and is the bait on the hook of the movement.
So I do not have to pay taxes?
According to many Sovereign beliefs, no you do not.
It is important for the reader to understand these answers above are not accurate. Not following traffic laws and not paying your taxes can result in real fines and/or jail time. It is possible to understand why Sovereigns believe what they do and recognize them if you encounter them.
If you would like to learn more about Sovereign Citizens please feel free to reach out! I have had the pleasure of teaching thousands of law enforcement officers and other government officials across the country and would love to come to you or to teach remotely via the web.