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Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens

Pseudolaw and Sovereign Citizens

Author: Harry Hobbs; Stephen Young; Joe McIntyre
Publisher: Hart Publishing
ISBN: 9781509978915

Published In: February 2025
Format: Hardback
Jurisdiction: U.K. ? Disclaimer:
Countri(es) stated herein are used as reference only
Paperback Edition ISBN: 9781509978953

List Price: RM666.90

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This is the first-ever edited volume solely dedicated to examining pseudolaw, offering in-depth insights into its global growth and alarming adaptability to local legal contexts.

Can you avoid any law you do not consent to? Can you avoid paying taxes by declaring yourself sovereign? Do courts operate under Admiralty or Maritime law? No. But welcome to the strange world of pseudolaw.

This book examines the perplexing and demanding growth of this phenomenon. While it might be tempting to laugh at the ridiculousness of pseudolaw, it is a serious matter. People who make these claims rob themselves of meaningful legal opportunities and impose great costs to themselves and the community. It is also linked to violent extremism and indicative of growing social insecurity.

Part I offers ways to analyse and differentiate pseudolaw from other forms of conspiracy ideation and fringe legal interpretation. Part II examines the history of pseudolegal thinking and surveys contemporary manifestations and practices of pseudolaw, including that of sovereign citizens. Part III explores the rise of far-right extremism, lay-persons in judicial proceedings, fraudulent “get out of jail” schemes, and responses to this phenomenon.

1. Introduction, Harry Hobbs (University of Technology Sydney, Australia), Stephen Young (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Joe McIntyre (University of South Australia)

2. Pseudolaw, Folk Law and Natural Law: How to Tell the Difference, Jonathan Crowe (Bond University, Australia)

3. Pseudolaw versus Misreading of the Law: Vaccine Mandate Claims During the Covid-19 Pandemic, Maria O'Sullivan (Deakin Law School, Australia)

4. Pseudolaw as Utopia and Legal Smorgasbord, Bruce Baer Arnold (University of Canberra, Australia)

5. Sedition by Syntax: The Early Evolution of Sovereign Citizen Ideology, Mark Pitcavage (Centre on Extremism, USA)

6. Pseudolaw in the United States: A Case Study on the American State Nationals Movement, Christine Sarteschi (Chatham University, USA)

7. The Sun only Shines on YouTube: The Continued Post-2015 Failure and Marginalisation of Pseudolaw in Canada, Donald Netolitzky KC (Alberta Court of Queen's Bench, Canada)

8. Pseudolaw: Lessons from Germany, Anna Loebbert (Oxford Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, UK)

9. Lies and Video Tapes: The False Traffic Law Claims of Pseudolaw Proponents, David Heilpern (Southern Cross University, Australia)

10. A Type of Magic: Pseudolaw in Australia, Glen Cash DCJ (District Court of Queensland, Australia)

11. Colin McRoberts: Pseudolaw, Pseudomedicine and Indigenous Claims, Colin McRoberts (University of Kansas, USA)

12. Pseudolaw Arguments in the Queensland Magistrates Court, Mark Nolan (Charles Sturt University, Australia)

13. Pseudolaw, Public Law and National Security, Josh Roose (Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Australia)

14. Non-Lawyer Advocates and Pseudolaw, Bridgette Toy-Cronin (University of Otago, New Zealand)

15. Pseudolaw and the Assertion of Sovereignty, Marilyn McMahon (Deakin Law School, Australia)

16. Failure to Perform: How Theatre Studies Help Us Understand Legal Conspiracists, Kate Leader (University of York, UK)

17. Responding to Pseudolaw, Harry Hobbs (University of Technology Sydney, Australia), Stephen Young (University of Otago, New Zealand) and Joe McIntyre (University of South Australia)