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Sovereign citizens sometimes place brackets around a zip code on addresses they submit on legal documents or forms. This is yet another tactic based on a misconception of the legal system and has no real impact. Here’s a breakdown of why they do it and why it doesn’t hold up.
- Sovereign citizen belief: They believe that by putting brackets around the zip code, they somehow separate themselves from the validity of the address. In their view, it creates a distance between them and the legal system through the use of punctuation.
- Misunderstanding of Contracts: Sovereign citizens believe using brackets around a zip code somehow prevents their address from becoming part of a contract with the government [1, 2]. This stems from a general distrust of government and a fabricated theory about contract formation.
- Symbolic Rejection of Authority: The brackets can be seen as a symbolic way for sovereign citizens to reject the government’s authority over them, even in something as mundane as a mailing address [2].
- Misplaced Focus: They might be fixated on minor details like zip codes, while ignoring the actual legal content of the documents they submit [3].
Why Brackets Around Zip Codes Don’t Matter:
- Courts and government agencies focus on the content and purpose of the document, not the formatting around the zip code.
- Brackets around a zip code have no legal bearing and won’t prevent the government from considering the document.
Important Points to Remember:
- Brackets around a zip code are a sovereign citizen quirk, not a recognized legal practice.
- They don’t change the validity or enforceability of a document.
- Focusing on such tactics can distract from addressing the legal issues at hand.
Possible Inspiration:
- There might be misinformation circulating in sovereign citizen circles about the significance of zip codes and contract formation. This misconception has been perpetuated within the movement.
Citations:
- [1] Anti-Defamation League: The Sovereign Citizen Movement [https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/sovereign-citizen-movement-united-states]
- [2] Southern Poverty Law Center: Sovereign Citizens [www.splcenter.org/fighting-hate/extremist-files/ideology/sovereign-citizens-movement]
- [3] National Center for State Courts: Self-Represented Litigants [www.ncsc.org/consulting-and-research/areas-of-expertise/access-to-justice/self-represented-litigants. ]
