Updates on cases, laws, and other topics of interest to local governments

Subscribe by Email

Enter your Email:
Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Subscribe in a Reader

Follow Municipal Minute on Twitter

Disclaimer

Blog comments do not reflect the views or opinions of the Author or Ancel Glink. Some of the content may be considered attorney advertising material under the applicable rules of certain states. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Please read our full disclaimer

Thursday, January 21, 2021

Appellate Court Rejects "Sovereign Citizen" Defense to Speeding Ticket


After being cited for speeding by a police officer and convicted at a bench trial, the driver appealed to the Illinois Appellate Court. The driver raised a "sovereign citizen" defense and claimed that (1) the court and the municipality had no authority to impose a monetary fine because money ceased to exist in 1933; (2) the municipality and court conspired to deprive him of his civil rights, including his right to travel; (3) traffic tickets were nothing more than fraud, extortion, blackmail, intimidation, harassment, mail fraud; and (4) the citation capitalized his name, among other reasons. 

In Village of Frankfort v. Cantway, the Appellate Court upheld the speeding conviction, determined that the appeal was frivolous, and imposed sanctions on the driver for the appeal, including requiring the driver to pay the Village's legal fees incurred in defending the appeal in court. 

1 comment:

  1. I wonder if he will use gold to pay the Villages fees? Keep us posted.

    ReplyDelete