A Violent Surge – Sovereign Citizens vs. Government Authority

Research has indicated that over the past several years, threats posed by extremists have surged in the United States. One concerning extremist movement is the Sovereign Citizens (SovCits), whose ideology often overlaps with other extremist groups. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has classified this movement as a domestic terrorist threat and one of its “top threats,” chiefly because it poses a threat to law enforcement agencies, due to a history of violence and illegal activities.

Basics of the SovCits Movement

Originating in the U.S., the SovCits movement encompasses a diverse anti-government worldview. Outside of the U.S., they have been tracked in Canada, the United Kingdom, Scotland, the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, New Zealand, and South Africa. The conviction of adherents is that they are subject to illegitimate control by the U.S. government. They operate under the supposition that, since they proclaimed themselves “sovereign,” they are exempt from following U.S. law or paying taxes. According to the FBI, the SovCits threat will likely only grow as the nationwide movement continues to be powered by the internet and the economic downturn.

Although this ideology has taken many different forms, modern interpretations usually associate it with extreme and conspiratorial ideologies. In the current era of widespread conspiracy-mongering, this once-dismissed outlying movement has found an expanding following. Some noteworthy social and psychological factors, such as stress, life-altering events, isolation, anger, hostility, and depression, are causing Americans to become more prone to embrace extremist ideologies like this movement.

One key factor appears to be a strong sense of uncertainty in today’s climate. Social media has exacerbated feelings of uncertainty, partially since ideas can now be shared instantly with minimum effort, which can be destabilizing. Moreso, the human brain does not generally like uncertainty, which can cause individuals to seek a pathway to feeling more certain and assured by any means possible. Conspiracy theories can counter that uncertainty, and more people are gravitating toward them.

SovCits do not acknowledge federal, state, or municipal laws, rules, or governmental restrictions and instead view the government as operating outside their jurisdiction. SovCits’ beliefs have become more popular in national contexts in recent years post-9/11. Rapid changes in technology, major swings in the job market, the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic, and more have caused many Americans to feel unanchored. Anti-government feelings were further strengthened with the COVID-19 enforcement and the government’s response to civil protests. The recent developments concerning immigration and anti-gun legislation have sparked renewed vigor within the movement, as have the events of January 6, 2021. An increasing number of QAnon adherents are adopting the SovCits’ beliefs as well.

SovCits are not mentally ill, confused, or misled. They are convinced of their beliefs. This conviction creates a situation where extremism can flourish. To distinguish differences between ideological groups, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START) analyzed “a database of 2,226 Islamist, far-left, far-right, and single-issue extremists who have radicalized to violent and non-violent extremism in the United States from 1948 through 2018.” According to that research, almost 30% of all far-right extremists are estimated to be either current or former members of the SovCits movement, anti-government groups, or militia, or have expressed strong anti-government views. SovCits tend not to operate as a group or even have an established leadership hierarchy. SovCits act independently or in loosely connected factions that organize for training, assist with paperwork, and socialize based on the SovCits ideology. Much akin to other extremist groups today, because SovCits are decentralized and have “no identifiable leaders, no existing organization and no infrastructure to disrupt,” identification and prevention are a formidable task for law enforcement.

Historical Background

The origins of the SovCits philosophy can be traced to the white supremacist organization “Posse Comitatus” (power of the country) in the early 1970s. The anti-government group was founded by racist and antisemitic political militia who believed that government agencies were violating the civil rights of white people. Members of the group held the view that American counties and their sheriffs constituted the supreme power in the country and were in charge of shielding the populace from the federal government. SovCits believed that the only real legislative code for the people of the United States was “common law,” which is often derived from religious readings rather than government legislation. Furthermore, they deem the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs commercial transactions in the U.S. and interstate standards, will protect them while operating a vehicle without registration and without a valid driver’s license.

Precise numbers of SovCits can be challenging to obtain. However, estimates suggest there are between 100,000 and 300,000 SovCits in the U.S. alone. One of the fastest-growing SovCits groups since the 1990s is the Moorish (also known as Moors or Muurs) organization. The Moorish Science Temple of America (MSTA), a religious faction, was established in 1913 and has certain sovereign beliefs through self-governing based on indigenous rights. The leaders of MSTA have attempted to separate themselves from those claiming to be SovCits Moors who have committed violent crimes. There are anywhere between 3,000 and 6,200 Moorish SovCits, but likely more, in the U.S.

Beliefs

The theory of sovereign citizenship is based on the claim that the U.S. government is not legally in charge of U.S. citizens. Although some SovCits disagree, the majority believe that admiralty law (law of the sea and international commerce) superseded the common law legal system established by the founding fathers. Depending on the SovCits group, these changes supposedly occurred either in 1933 when the United States abandoned the gold standard (Redemption Theory) or during the American Civil War (1861-1865). Moorish SovCits, however, believe they are immune from the law, as they were the first to settle in the U.S.

They adhere to one of the most commonly accepted beliefs that an evil plot replaced the original lawful government with an illegitimate, despotic, de facto government more than a century ago. They might identify as “constitutionalists” or “freemen,” which does not necessarily imply membership in a particular organization but rather denotes their independence from governmental authority.

Another ideology of the movement is to adopt a fake identity known as a “straw man,” which is essentially a pseudo-legal name that is used for court filing and fraudulent documents. Once individuals are schooled in this belief, they take action to separate from the “illegitimate” government and become SovCits. The illegitimate government no longer has any authority over them, and the U.S. government’s laws, rules, regulations, taxes, and courts are effectively nullified. As a result, a lot of SovCits’ document identifiers serve to prove the person’s sovereignty and to put them at odds with the government they believe to be unjust. The documentary identifiers are consequently related to establishing the person as a sovereign and creating separation between them and the government.

Activities of SovCits

SovCits have been identified in several different religious and ethnic organizations, such as Montana Freeman, Embassy of Heaven, Moorish Nation, and Washitaw Nation, to name a few. However, many believe in the SovCits ideology but are not affiliated with any particular group. Although autonomous in their activities, they maintain the same views as the formal organizations: that the U.S. government, courts, and law enforcement are illegitimate. Those individuals also retain a common-law identity, exempting them from the authority of those fraudulent government institutions.

Tactics

SovCits typically engage in the act of filing or providing frivolous pseudo-legal claims and documents, known as “paper terrorism.” This tactic impacts governments and public agencies, but also the private industry (e.g., banks and corporations). They can harm these agencies by inundating their opponents with litigation and legal claims in the form of copious amounts of paperwork. A volume of frivolous legal filings soon follows if government agencies confront them through summons, fines, and arrests.

False liens on property are frequently filed by SovCits against public servants, unsuspecting landlords, and homeowners to cause financial harm. Paper terrorism, which includes frivolous litigation or filings and false liens, is intended to consume costly time for agencies and as a scare tactic so they will succumb to SovCits’ demands. SovCits will attempt to control a traffic stop by compelling law enforcement officers to release them from legal jargon, or public and private agencies to heed their demands with an immediate resolution or plea bargain. Although they are not often victorious in state criminal court, they will try to clog the court dates with their pointless legal filings.

Violence

In addition to challenging authority and government employees, SovCits have used violence against law enforcement, public authorities, and other government figures. They may use violence to defend their beliefs, especially when confronted for identification at traffic stops, law enforcement stations, and courthouses. According to research, their views, extreme in nature, are fundamentally not indicative of disordered thought. Some SovCits are motivated to commit violence for various reasons, although evidence suggests that most are not mentally ill or delusional.

In 2024, between the months of March and August, six officers (one killed and five injured) were shot by SovCits. On August 30, 2024, a Dallas police officer was assassinated while sitting in his patrol car by someone later identified as a member of the SovCits movement. The subject also shot at two responding officers with a shotgun, blinding one officer and injuring the other in the leg. Responding officers later shot and killed the subject after a police pursuit.

Key Indicators

These shootings demonstrate the kind of violence people involved in this movement can exhibit, and the pattern of behavior underlines the deep challenges and inherent dangers officers face when engaging with SovCits. Law enforcement agencies need to develop department guidelines for frontline supervisors and patrol officers when confronted with a SovCits incident (e.g., traffic stop, inside a government building, or squatting situation).

It is important to realize SovCits’ tactics to intimidate and even harass law enforcement, the courts, and other government officials. There are several indicators law enforcement may observe when making contact with someone from the SovCits movement:

• Vehicle license plates are completely and visibly fraudulent. Often, they refer to the “republic” of a given state or have the word “sovereign” on the plate itself.
• The individual stopped will present massive paperwork when prompted for a license request, often unrelated to the identification request. Documents are designed to frustrate, confuse, and, most dangerously, distract law enforcement.
• The individual will not refer to their vehicle as a “vehicle,” often referring to it as their “conveyance.” There are no legal requirements for a conveyance. This is often used to subvert the vehicle code restrictions and attempt to avoid responsibility in the given state’s vehicle code.
• The individual will often refer to the 14th Amendment (or the UCC) during a traffic stop, as they believe the amendment transitioned SovCits to federal citizens. They believe that once the U.S. adopted the 14th Amendment, it became a corporation.
• Law enforcement may receive a bill for the time they have spent with the individual, or they may discover liens on their homes, unknown until they attempt to sell, having fallen victim to “paper terrorism.”

Best Practices for First Responders

For most police officers, the traffic stop will be the most likely way they encounter someone from this movement. Traffic stops can be particularly dangerous for law enforcement because SovCits often will not comply with law enforcements’ basic commands. On occasion, this can lead to violence. These encounters are far from routine due to the distinctive ideology of the movement. SovCits are often offended and become agitated and angry when stopped by law enforcement, as they deem the stop to be illegal and a waste of their time.

The following are best-practice recommendations for departmental guidelines when engaging with SovCits:

• Immediately call for backup. SovCits can become argumentative, combative, and non-cooperative, and they have a propensity for violence.
• Notify the supervisor even if it is just suspected that a traffic stop or pedestrian encounter involves a SovCit.
• When a traffic stop is initiated, avoid handling unnecessary documents to keep hands free.
• Avoid political or legal arguments.
• Focus on informing people about the violation and its progression to criminal actions.
• Know that SovCits will demand officers prove jurisdiction and will refuse to answer questions.
• Be vigilant, as they record or live-stream traffic and pedestrian stops.
• Be aware that SovCits often film their law enforcement encounters, and they are well-versed in laws of filming in public and private areas. They also could alert additional SovCits individuals through a “calling tree” (quick spread of information through transmission).
• Maintain professional control of the traffic stop (regardless of the subject’s behavior). SovCits will insist they “do not consent” to the actions of law enforcement.

Although contact with this movement does not always lead to violence, it is important to remember that the movement’s illegal activities and violent history against law enforcement demand caution and shrewdness. It is imperative that law enforcement is mindful of the movement’s tactics so that agencies can warn the public of their possible scams, identify illegal activity, and comprehend its potential severity.

To prepare law enforcement officials for the risks associated with extremist groups, like members of the SovCits movement, agencies need to review and likely revise policies, procedures, and training to more effectively handle encounters with SovCits. Given law enforcement’s routine contact with SovCits and the inherent danger posed by the movement, the lack of mandated training programs is problematic. Most officers have not had training about this movement, and understanding their ideology and behavior is critical to ensure the safety of law enforcement, especially during traffic stops.

Few agencies offer optional SovCits training to officers, and what known training exists is minimal. However, this type of training should be mandatory. Required training could save lives by teaching law enforcement how to identify SovCits and their tactics. This risk is not limited just to law enforcement and court officials, but also to medical first responders. Medical personnel may have contact with SovCits during domestic violence, child welfare, and other medical aide calls. Therefore, training should be made available to medical personnel to identify SovCits, should they encounter them on emergency calls. Antigovernment extremists claim to be above the law, and they risk the well-being of all public officials.