What Is the Sovereign Citizen Movement?

Sovereign Citizens are individuals who claim they are exempt from U.S. laws. They reject the authority of all levels of government—federal, state, and local. This belief often leads them to refuse to pay taxes, drive without valid licenses or registration, ignore police orders and court rulings, and submit documents that appear legal but have no legal effect. According to the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, Sovereign Citizens are classified as Anti-Government or Anti-Authority Violent Extremists (AGAAVEs), a subset of Domestic Violent Extremists (DVEs) (FBI, 2023; DHS, 2023).

What Do Sovereign Citizens Believe?

Sovereign Citizens rely on pseudolegal theories—arguments that sound legal but have no standing in any U.S. court. One common belief is the straw-man theory, which claims the government creates a fake corporate identity for each person at birth. Rejecting this identity is falsely believed to eliminate legal obligations (FBI, 2023). The related redemption theory claims that renouncing the strawman grants access to secret government accounts, a tactic often tied to fraud. Some Sovereign Citizens also assert that only vague or self-defined interpretations of “common law” apply, rejecting modern legal systems altogether. Others misinterpret Article 1-308 of the Uniform Commercial Code to reject contracts, taxes, or court rulings (Naval Postgraduate School, 2016). Additional tactics include “paper terrorism,” which involves filing fake liens, lawsuits, or affidavits to harass public officials or delay court proceedings (Naval Postgraduate School, 2016), and “signature modifications,” such as using red thumbprints or the phrase “under duress” to symbolically reject government authority. These markings have no legal meaning in any jurisdiction (FBI, 2023).

How Do Officials Recognize Sovereign Activity?

Federal training guides highlight several behaviors that may signal Sovereign Citizen activity (FBI, 2023; DHS, 2023). These include the use of homemade license plates labeled “Private” or “Republic of [State],” self-identification as a “natural person” or “traveler,” and filings stamped with red thumbprints or filled with dense legal jargon. Other red flags include repetitive or incoherent legal filings, attempts to serve fake liens or legal notices on government officials, and refusals to show identification or comply with police officers without proof of their “oath” or “bond.” These behaviors commonly surface during traffic stops, in courtrooms, and within public records.

Have Sovereign Citizens Committed Crimes?

Yes. While many cases involve nonviolent legal disruption, some have escalated to serious violence. In West Memphis, Arkansas, in 2010, Jerry and Joseph Kane killed two police officers during a traffic stop. Sovereign-style documents were found in their vehicle (FBI, 2023). In 2018, in Locust Grove, Georgia, one officer was killed and two others were injured while serving a warrant; the suspect had a documented history of filing Sovereign-style legal documents (FBI, 2023). In April 2023, a man was convicted of extortion after threatening to file a fraudulent lien against a police officer and posting Sovereign-themed content online (FBI, 2023).

How Are Public Officials Targeted?

Sovereign Citizens frequently target judges, court clerks, and law enforcement officers through fraudulent filings. These include false liens or debt claims alleging amounts in the millions or billions of dollars, fake legal notices that demand action or threaten lawsuits, and filings that name spouses or children of public officials in an effort to intimidate or retaliate (Naval Postgraduate School, 2016; Program on Extremism, 2022). In response, many states have enacted laws that classify these actions as felony harassment.

How Does the Government Respond?

Several government agencies work together to detect, prevent, and respond to Sovereign Citizen activity. Joint Terrorism Task Forces (JTTFs), led by the FBI, investigate threats and incidents of violence tied to extremist ideologies (FBI, 2023). The Department of Homeland Security supports local communities through its Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) programs to deter radicalization (DHS, 2023). Fusion Centers, operated across state and local jurisdictions, help law enforcement share intelligence and track coordinated activity (Government Accountability Office [GAO], 2023). In addition, judicial training programs backed by the RAND prepare court personnel to recognize and reject fraudulent filings without validating pseudolegal tactics (RAND, 2019).

What Legal and Policy Challenges Exist?

One challenge is that the U.S. has no specific domestic terrorism statute that would formally classify Sovereign Citizens as terrorists. As a result, most legal actions are pursued under existing laws related to fraud, obstruction, or extortion (GAO, 2023). While extreme beliefs are protected under the First Amendment, legal action is only taken when those beliefs translate into criminal activity (Sacco, 2023). Another ongoing concern is the burden placed on courts, as all legal filings—regardless of legitimacy—must be reviewed, causing delays and increasing workloads (RAND, 2019). Sovereign Citizen cases also frequently span across local, state, and federal jurisdictions, complicating coordination efforts among law enforcement agencies (GAO, 2023).

Recommendations

To protect legal institutions and the rule of law, federal agencies and research institutions recommend expanding training for law enforcement, judges, and court clerks to identify Sovereign Citizen tactics early (FBI, 2023; RAND, 2019). Enhancing interagency intelligence sharing through Fusion Centers and national threat tracking databases is also encouraged (GAO, 2023). In addition, public education campaigns can help prevent the spread of pseudolegal misinformation and protect individuals from financial scams and recruitment (RAND, 2019).

Final Summary

Sovereign Citizens use fraudulent legal tactics to challenge the legitimacy of government authority. Although their claims are not recognized by any U.S. court, their actions continue to disrupt public institutions, harass officials, and sometimes escalate into violence. A coordinated homeland security approach—based on prevention, training, information sharing, and public awareness—is essential to safeguard civil order and uphold the rule of law.

References

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2023). Sovereign citizen violent extremism guide. FBI Counterterrorism Division. https://info.publicintelligence.net/FBI-SovereignCitizenViolentExtremismGuide.pdf

Government Accountability Office. (2023). The rising threat of domestic terrorism in the U.S. and federal efforts to combat it (GAO Publication No. GAO-23-104720). https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-23-104720

Naval Postgraduate School. (2016). Sovereign citizen movement: An empirical study (DTIC No. AD1027164). https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/pdfs/AD1027164.pdf

Program on Extremism, George Washington University. (2022). Sovereign Citizens. https://extremism.gwu.edu/sites/g/files/zaxdzs5746/files/
downloads/JMB%20Sovereign%20Citizens.pdf

RAND. (2019). Practical terrorism prevention: Reexamining U.S. national approaches (Report No. RR2647). https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2647.html

Sacco, L. N. (2023). Understanding and conceptualizing domestic terrorism: Issues for Congress (CRS Report No. R47885). Congressional Research Service. https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R47885

U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (2023). Strategic intelligence assessment and data on domestic terrorism. Office of Intelligence and Analysis. https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2023-07/23_0724_opa_strategic-intelligence-assessment-data-domestic-terrorism.pdf