“In Admiralty”

Sovereign citizens frequently misuse the term “In Admiralty” to argue they are not subject to the regular court system. Here’s a breakdown of the actual meaning and why sovereign citizens distort it:

• The Real Meaning of Admiralty Law: Admiralty law is a specialized legal system that deals with maritime matters like commercial shipping, injuries at sea, and salvage operations. It operates alongside the civil court system [1].
• Sovereign Citizen Misconception: Sovereign citizens believe that by saying “in admiralty,” they somehow transfer legal proceedings from civil court to admiralty court. They think this gives them an advantage or allows them to avoid certain laws.
• Why it’s wrong:
  
  • Misunderstanding Admiralty Law: Admiralty law deals with maritime matters and disputes arising on navigable waterways [1, 2]. It has nothing to do with everyday legal issues faced by sovereign citizens.
  • False Dichotomy between Common Law Courts: Sovereign citizens believe there are two separate court systems: common law courts (for regular citizens) and admiralty courts (for entities they consider themselves to be). This is a false distinction [2, 3].
  • Challenge to Court Jurisdiction: They might claim courts are operating under admiralty law when they aren’t, hoping to argue they’re not subject to the court’s jurisdiction [2]. This tactic holds no legal weight.
  • Disruption and Confusion: Sovereign citizens might use “in admiralty” to inject confusion and disrupt court proceedings. They aim to derail the process and appear knowledgeable of complex legal matters [3]. Courts are familiar with these tactics and separate legal arguments from sovereign citizen ideology.
• Sovereign citizen goals:
  
  • Disrupt proceedings: They often use “in admiralty” as a tactic to delay or confuse judges unfamiliar with sovereign citizen ideology.
  • False legal defense: They believe it creates a technical loophole to avoid accountability.

Real Deal About Courts:

• In the United States, there’s one federal court system with different divisions, including admiralty courts handling maritime cases [1].
• Sovereign citizens are subject to the laws and the jurisdiction of the courts where they reside.

Important to Remember:

• Misusing “In Admiralty” doesn’t remove someone from the legal system or invalidate court proceedings.
• Courts will see through this tactic and focus on the actual legal issues at hand.

Citations:

• [1] Cornell University Law School: Legal Information Institute: Admiralty Law [ Cornell University Law School: Legal Information Institute: Admiralty Law [“Admiralty/Maritime.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/wex/category/admiralty/maritime.]] 
• [2] Anti-Defamation League: The Sovereign Citizen Movement [https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/sovereign-citizen-movement-united-states]
• [3] National Conference of State Legislatures: Model Sovereign Citizen Protection Act Sarteschi, Christine M. “Sovereign Citizens: A Narrative Review with Implications of Violence towards Law Enforcement.” Aggression and Violent Behavior, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7513757/]