Sovereign Citizen Claims The Court Has No Jurisdiction—Judge Finds Him GUILTY Anyway!

Ajouté : 2026-06-01

[00:00:00]Your Honor, I object on this bench trial. I will do what a jury trial. The court's jurisdiction is divested until those courts determine otherwise.

[00:00:11]>> Well, actually, none of that is true.

[00:00:13]>> This sovereign citizen walked into court with a bunch of fake laws and just completely humiliate himself in the process. He's already looking at possible jail time and to make it worse, he can barely even read half the stuff he's trying to argue here. The whole situation just keeps getting worse the longer he talks. And make sure you guys watch till the end because the judge's verdict here honestly shocked me. And if you haven't already, make sure to subscribe. And now, let's watch this sovereign citizen get completely shut.

[00:00:40]>> Thank you, sir.

[00:00:41]>> Yes, sir.

[00:00:41]>> All right. So, the record should reflect the defendant is present in the courtroom today. Miss Yeager is here on behalf of the state of Ohio. And this matter is scheduled for a trial to the court. The defendant is charged with two counts involving driver's license violations. One is driving under a OVI suspension and the other is driving under It looks like it's It says security on the citation, but according to the new Albany Municipal Code, it's basically just a driving under forfeiture. Miss Yeager, is the state ready to proceed with trial today?

[00:01:11]>> Um yes, Your Honor. However, Mr. Mackey informed us he actually wanted to set for a jury trial, not a bench trial today.

[00:01:15]>> All right. And Mr. Mackey, what do you have to say about that?

[00:01:19]>> She is absolutely correct, Your Honor.

[00:01:21]Also, as Also, I shared with her as well at documents, you know, if inside if I could serve the court.

[00:01:34]>> Why don't you just tell me what you have there first?

[00:01:37]>> Um these These documents that I have is referred to a removal that's been filed from the clerk. And as well, my case is in fact on an appeal at the moment.

[00:01:53]>> On appeal where?

[00:01:55]>> I'm sorry.

[00:01:55]>> On appeal where?

[00:01:58]>> It's uh it's an uh appeal.

[00:02:01]>> In what court is what I'm saying. Where where where have you filed an appeal?

[00:02:06]>> The court of appeals.

[00:02:08]>> Okay, which district?

[00:02:09]>> The 10th District.

[00:02:10]>> Okay, now that covers Franklin County and we're in the 5th District Court of Appeals.

[00:02:14]>> I'm sorry, it's the 5th District. You're absolutely right.

[00:02:17]>> Uh Before we dive in, just a quick note.

[00:02:20]This commentary is created for educational purposes, designed to help those who may be confused or curious about courtroom processes. If you don't find it helpful, feel free to skip ahead. But for those who want a deeper understanding, stay tuned. It's about to get intense.

[00:02:37]What started as a routine traffic case is quickly turning into a courtroom train wreck. The defendant is attempting to use sovereign citizen-style arguments, claiming appeals and federal filings somehow strip the court of its authority. But judges hear these claims all the time, and they almost never succeed. The big question now is whether he has any legitimate legal strategy behind these filings, or if he's about to make a difficult situation much worse. Keep watching, because the judge's response to these arguments is both patient and devastating.

[00:03:13]>> I will >> I'm assuming that your uh appellate paperwork is similar to what you've been submitting to the court.

[00:03:22]That's what it looks like.

[00:03:24]>> That work or did >> Well, just in general. All of the your filings with this court are uh on this it's kind of a unique um I know that it's a the documents are unique in that they're um they're gray and they're typed in all caps and um uh one of them that looks like from what you just filed this morning was filed in the United States District Court in the District of New Jersey in the Newark Division.

[00:03:47]Um and this is obviously Newark, Ohio.

[00:03:49]>> He actually filed his sovereign citizen paperwork to New Jersey instead of Ohio, which honestly just tells you everything you need to know about this guy. And I seriously love the judge's reaction here. I mean, he's not even mad, just disappointed like a parent would be. And you can tell he's already over it. And like, I don't know if you guys can tell, but this guy can barely read what he's trying to argue here. Maybe it's the nerve read.

[00:04:11]>> Well, here's what I will tell you, Mr. Mackey. You do have the right to have a trial by jury, but um in order in a what we call a petty offense, and a petty offense is anything punishable by less than 1 year in prison, um a jury trial is not automatic. It has to be demanded.

[00:04:25]And rule 23 of the Ohio Rules of Criminal Procedure require that that jury demand be made uh not less than 10 days before the scheduled bench trial.

[00:04:32]So, your request for a jury trial would be untimely. Now, I'll entertain a position from the state in that regard.

[00:04:38]Um do you intend to uh represent yourself throughout um whether you have a bench trial or a jury trial, or did you want the court to or are you going to ask the court to appoint an attorney to represent you?

[00:04:49]>> What is a motion?

[00:04:50]>> So, everyone >> Okay. Well, uh I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to deny uh what I construe to be a motion to continue um for the purpose of setting the matter for a jury trial because the matter's been pending for quite some time. Uh let's see, all of February, all of March, and now halfway into April. Um and so, the defendant did have an ample opportunity to submit a demand for trial by jury, but that uh demand was made in an untimely fashion today. So, um the record will reflect that the um the motion was made, but the the the court denied that. You have to either have a trial um the state has indicated it's prepared to proceed. Uh and uh you can obviously represent yourself. Um you have the right to, if you wish, to change your plea from not guilty to guilty or no contest. Um but I do not believe the state is inclined to dismiss the charges. Is that correct, Ms. Jaeger?

[00:05:35]>> Correct, Your Honor.

[00:05:35]>> All right. So, how would you like to proceed? Would you like to have your trial today, or did you want to change your plea from not guilty to guilty or no contest?

[00:05:44]>> Your Honor, I said, "Please to the court, I motion that this case be continued on or stayed because the case is now on an appeal in the fifth district court of appeals. Also, the case has been petitioned removed to the Ohio District Court under case 223 CV 223 CV 02962 JLG CHG and to the New Jersey District Court under case 224 CV 03934 L E F J B C The court's jurisdiction is divested until those courts determine otherwise.

[00:06:38]>> Well, actually none of that is true.

[00:06:40]Judge Stansbury is seriously becoming one of my favorite judges. Let me know if you guys agree, but it's just the way he handles this. It's just so perfect.

[00:06:49]Instead of arguing back and forth like most judges would, he just lets this guy dig himself deeper and deeper. He's really not feeding into it at all here, and you can tell it's working. I genuinely feel like this is how you completely humiliate themselves.

[00:07:02]>> Number one, your paperwork from the that purports to be from the federal district court doesn't look like pleadings from the federal district court. Those are plain white paper with the case number in blue up at the top of the page, and that's not how yours are are captioned. Furthermore, as far as jurisdiction is concerned, this court does have jurisdiction because this is an alleged violation of the traffic laws of the city of New Albany.

[00:07:28]This is alleged to have occurred within Licking County. This court has jurisdiction over traffic offenses that are alleged to have occurred within Licking County, personal jurisdiction over you. All right?

[00:07:38]>> Your Honor, I object on this bench trial.

[00:07:41]I would love a jury trial.

[00:07:44]>> Okay. And as I've already explained to you, you did not make your demand in a timely fashion. So, the motion to continue and the the request for a trial by jury is going to be denied.

[00:07:54]It doesn't sound to me like you don't want to I know you don't want to change your plea from not guilty to guilty or or no contest. So, at this time I'm simply going to order or ask the prosecutor to call their first witness.

[00:08:05]>> Thank you. The state will call Officer Corso to stand, please.

[00:08:07]>> Officer, please come forward to be sworn.

[00:08:09]Oh, actually before he does that. Mr. You can have a seat. Mr. Mackey, you indicated that you do wish to represent yourself, correct?

[00:08:17]>> Is that right?

[00:08:18]>> Okay.

[00:08:19]So, you have the right to be represented by an attorney by hiring one of your choosing. You're also eligible to ask the court to appoint an attorney to represent you at no cost if you qualified based upon your income, your expenses, your household size, the court would appoint an attorney to represent you. However, if it's your intention to represent yourself, it is necessary to execute a written waiver of the right to counsel 1258. Go ahead and sign by the X there, but do please read that because I'm going to make sure that you understand what it is.

[00:08:49]>> Yes, that all right.

[00:08:50]>> I'm objecting to this. I object this trial.

[00:08:54]>> I'm sorry, I didn't hear what you said.

[00:08:55]>> I'm refusing to sign this waiver after you I'm not refusing to sign it.

[00:09:01]This court jurisdiction have been divested.

[00:09:05]>> Okay. Well, I've already ruled on that and that that can certainly be appealed at a later time, but this part of the the case this this portion or this part of the process [clears throat] is going to go forward. If you later appeal, if you're found guilty, I'm not saying you will be, but if there is a conviction that's entered, you have the right to appeal to the fifth district arguing that this court never had jurisdiction over you, which means basically this would all not count, but you don't get to make I've already made a determination that the court does have jurisdiction over you. If you don't want to sign that form, obviously I can't make you do that, but I will declare what's called a constructive waiver of counsel, and what that means is you're you've said out loud that you wish to wave your right to counsel, um that you want to represent yourself. Uh I'm going to accept that as a valid waiver of counsel even if you don't wish to sign that. So, uh Ms. Kyle, if you'll bring this back to me, and for what it's worth, Mr. Mackey, this was filed with the court, and I do have a copy of that, and I did look at it, okay?

[00:09:57]>> At this point, the judge is basically telling him he doesn't care what he's saying, and the trial is moving forward either way. And you can tell this sovereign citizen is starting to feel this. Like he keeps reporting that the court has no authority over him over and over again, which is obviously not going to work. Like he's honestly running out of options here. I mean, I don't know where he got his sovereign citizen nonsense from, but he clearly didn't do enough research. I've seen sovereign citizens who come prepared with a lot of mumbo jumbo, but this guy literally only has one line here. And I'm honestly curious what he thinks is >> For the record, can you give me your name and spell your last name?

[00:10:30]>> Officer Michael Cohrs, c o h r s.

[00:10:33]>> For the record, I'd first draw your attention to the defendant's vehicle.

[00:10:37]>> Uh as he was uh traveling northbound making a left turn onto the State Route 161 westbound on-ramp, uh I observed he had dark tinted windows, which initially drew my attention. And then as he passed me, uh made the right-hand turn, drove behind him, uh and uh entered his license plate.

[00:10:53]>> Okay. And uh did his license plate, when you ran that, return anything?

[00:10:57]>> It did. It returned uh through my um mobile computer uh through the our LEADS program on there. Um I observed that his uh license plate had expired, I should say, expired uh on July 8th of 2024.

[00:11:10]>> And um so when you approached the defendant for this stop, did you inform him as to the reason for your traffic stop?

[00:11:15]>> I did.

[00:11:16]>> And did he have anything to say about that?

[00:11:18]>> Uh he stated he was aware that the uh registration had been expired.

[00:11:21]>> Okay. And did he have a a driver's license for you to >> He had an identification card.

[00:11:27]>> An ID card. Okay. Were you able to then go back to your mobile unit and run his driver's license status?

[00:11:32]>> Yes.

[00:11:32]>> And what did that return?

[00:11:34]>> Uh I observed again through my computer system uh that it showed he had multiple active suspensions.

[00:11:39]Uh one of them being the OUI suspension that he was cited with as well as the two non-compliance suspensions. Uh my system, reason why it was shown on the citation as a security suspension, that was the label, uh but per what I read through the uh the system there, it was the financial liability.

[00:11:54]>> Okay.

[00:11:55]Nothing further for this witness at this time, your Honor.

[00:11:56]>> All right. So, Mr. Mackey, you have the right to ask this question with the this question witnesses. You have the right to ask this witness questions if you wish, but you're not required to. And once the state's rested its case, you'll have the right to present evidence on your own behalf, but this portion of the trial is just for questioning. Do you have any questions for the officer?

[00:12:12]>> No, your Honor.

[00:12:13]>> All right. Officer Course, you may step down.

[00:12:15]>> All right, this actually makes no sense.

[00:12:17]What's the point of representing yourself if you're not even going to do anything on your own behalf? Now, everything that this officer just said is basically going in uncontested here as fact. Like he didn't even challenge anything. He didn't push back at all.

[00:12:31]And this just makes everything so much worse for this kid. Like >> This is one of those moments where courtroom reality collides head-on with internet legal myths.

[00:12:42]Notice how the judge doesn't get emotional or argumentative. Instead, he calmly explains why the defendant's claims don't hold up legally.

[00:12:51]That's often far more effective than debating.

[00:12:55]A court's jurisdiction isn't erased simply because someone files paperwork or declares it invalid. What we're watching here is a defendant repeatedly relying on the same argument while the judge continues building a clear record for any future appeal.

[00:13:11]Do you think the defendant genuinely believes these arguments or is he hoping something sticks if he repeats it?

[00:13:17]>> curious as well.

[00:13:18]>> So, Mr. Mackey, the state is asking me to admit the certified DMV records into evidence. If I grant that request, that means I'll I'll able to consider that in making my decision about whether or not the state has um met its burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt. You have the right to object to whether or not that comes in.

[00:13:34]Do you have any objection to the court admitting that as an exhibit?

[00:13:37]>> In this bench trial, Your Honor, I do. I object to this bench trial, Your Honor.

[00:13:42]>> Okay, well we've discussed that already, Mr. Mackey. So, at this time I'm just asking whether or not you have an objection to the admission of the exhibit.

[00:13:48]>> Yes.

[00:13:49]>> And on what basis?

[00:13:54]>> This court no longer has jurisdiction, Your Honor.

[00:13:57]>> Okay.

[00:13:57]>> Respectfully, I >> Well, that's non-responsive to the court's question. I'm going to go ahead and I'm going to reflect that the defendant is objecting to the admission of State's Exhibit 1, but I will admit that over the defendant's objection. Uh does the state rest?

[00:14:09]>> Yes, Your Honor.

[00:14:09]>> All right. Now, Mr. Mackey, the state has rested its case. In our system of justice, it's always the prosecution's burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt before a person can be convicted. A defendant is never required to produce any evidence, uh call any witnesses, introduce any exhibits into the record, or even testify on their own. Lessens the state's burden of proof, it doesn't diminish your presumption of innocence. But, you do have a right to present evidence by calling other witnesses, introducing exhibits into the record, and testifying on your own behalf. If you elect to take the witness stand, however, you will be required to either swear or affirm to tell the truth uh in giving me your side of the story. Then, when you're finished giving your side, you will be required to answer any questions that the prosecutor might have. So, other than yourself, do you have any witnesses that you'd like to call today?

[00:14:49]>> No, Your Honor.

[00:14:49]>> Okay. And do you wish to testify on your own behalf?

[00:15:03]>> Your Honor, I object to this bench trial.

[00:15:07]Respectfully, Your Honor.

[00:15:09]>> Okay. And and I've uh entertained that objection on more than one occasion now, and I I I've already overruled it, so it's not necessary to do that. But, you are creating a record here, Mr. Mackey, so that um you know, we're recording all this. Uh you'll certainly have the the right to obtain a transcript of the the proceedings and and pursue your appeal regarding the jurisdiction issue. But again, my question that I'll ask one last time is, do you wish to testify on your own behalf?

[00:15:34]>> No, your honor.

[00:15:36]>> Okay, very well.

[00:15:37]>> Um, he pretty much just sealed his own case by not testifying on his own behalf here. Like I'm honestly not even sure if it would have helped because it probably would have just made things worse for him. Like he's already done enough damage here, but still doing nothing definitely didn't help either. And at this point it just feels like it's already over. But yeah, let's get into these last few minutes, may >> Well, the court heard testimony from Officer Coors which finds to be credible that he was on duty on the date in question that he executed a traffic stop upon discovering that the registration on the vehicle was expired that he made contact with the driver who he's identified as the defendant and upon reviewing the information provided by the Bureau of Motor Vehicles determined that he was under both an OVI suspension as well as a financial responsibility act suspension.

[00:16:25]The court furthermore has um, admitted into evidence over the defendant's objection admittedly [clears throat] a certified copy of the defendant's driving record through the Bureau of Motor Vehicles and it does in fact list both the non-compliance suspension as well as the OVI suspension and reflects the expiration date of the registration as being prior to the date of the traffic stop. So I do find that the state has met its burden on all three counts and I'll go ahead and enter guilty findings.

[00:16:53]You have the right to make a statement today Mr. Mackey before I make any decisions regarding your sentence, but you're not required to. Is there anything that you would like to say other than the jurisdictional issue?

[00:17:02]>> No, your honor.

[00:17:03]>> All right, thank you Mr. Mackey.

[00:17:04]Questions to the defendants about their personal circumstances. If you don't want to answer, that's fine. Do you work? Do you have a job?

[00:17:10]>> Yes, your honor.

[00:17:11]>> What kind of work do you do?

[00:17:12]>> HVAC sheet metal as I told your office that pulled me over.

[00:17:18]>> Is that what you were doing that day?

[00:17:19]You were working out at the warehouses?

[00:17:21]Okay. Do you work for yourself?

[00:17:22]>> myself.

[00:17:23]>> Do you work for yourself or do you work for a company?

[00:17:24]>> I work for a company.

[00:17:25]>> Okay. How long have you worked for them?

[00:17:27]>> It's been 2 years. I've been in a steel trade.

[00:17:30]>> Okay. Well, here's the thing. One of the reasons why I'm asking you these questions today is, as I mentioned earlier at the beginning of our proceedings, the court is required to impose at the very least a 3-day jail term.

[00:17:41]I don't want to cost you your job. Do you work Monday through Friday?

[00:17:45]>> Saturday, Your Honor.

[00:17:46]>> Monday through Saturday?

[00:17:48]Okay. Um we normally do not have Well, let me go ahead and pronounce sentence first and then we'll talk about that.

[00:17:55]When you got pulled over that day, Mr. Mackey, you were just given your citation and then you were free to go, right? They didn't take you to jail, did they?

[00:18:02]>> Correct.

[00:18:02]>> Okay.

[00:18:03]All right. As far as the registration is concerned, um the fine on that charge is going to be a $25 fine. On the OVI driving under the OVI suspension to be start today and and as of midnight, uh costs will be assessed. Now, the reason I was asking you about your work and everything else is, um as I said, I don't want to cost you your job, Mr. Mackey, but I don't have any discretion when it comes to those 3 days in jail.

[00:18:25]Um normally, we require defendants I'm assuming you don't want to go today, right?

[00:18:32]No. Okay. So, it's customary for the court to grant what we call report dates. Some courts call them enforcement dates.

[00:18:38]And typically, we require that the defendant report here to the courtroom.

[00:18:43]But since my colleague, Judge George, took the bench, we now have the option of having folks report directly to the jail. And that's important for one reason. If you had to report here, you'd have to report on a day that the court's open. So, Monday through a Friday, all days of which you work. But if I order that you report to the jail on a Sunday, at least one of those days you won't of the 3 days you won't be missing work, okay? Would you like for me to grant you a report date to the jail on a Sunday? I mean, I know you don't want me to impose any jail at all, but under the circumstances, would you prefer that I make it so that you report to the jail on a Sunday so you only miss 2 days of work?

[00:19:18]Okay.

[00:19:19]All right. Um, let's set it out a little bit just to give you some an opportunity to make those arrangements with your work. Let's go ahead and I'm going to have you report directly to the jail on Sunday, May the 4th, and that's going to be at 11:00 a.m., Mr. Mackey, and then you'll get out 3 days later.

[00:19:37]Now, can I speak bluntly to you?

[00:19:40]So, you're not the first person who's come through court with these arguments that you're making regarding jurisdiction and the right to travel and things of that nature.

[00:19:49]I don't know whether you genuinely understand law, I'm here to tell you that it's not, but even if you do, I got to tell you, a lot of times folks who espouse these arguments just continue to find themselves in court and they don't win against the system. It may be unfair in your mind, I get that, I understand, but I just want to give you a word of caution that, you know, if you do get cited in the future with any traffic violations or even criminal offenses, making these arguments is is not going to work out in your favor. It's not going to help your situation.

[00:20:21]So, you know, you can be as frustrated and angry at the system as you want. The law is what the law is, but I would just recommend that in the future, you know, just deal with it regularly and and move on. You know, the only thing that you need to do is um you know, comply with the the traffic the driver's license laws and you won't have to worry about having to have to listen to guys like me anymore. It's okay.

[00:20:42]>> Wow, this judge actually gave this sovereign citizen a huge break, letting him keep his job and only serve time on Sundays. And honestly, he really didn't have to do all of that. You could tell the judge had some sympathy here and didn't want to completely ruin this kid's life over a bad decision. I mean, I don't know if this was a bad decision or if this kid is low IQ, eating his crayons, or whatnot, but either way, I mean, it was a very good act from the judge here, letting this kid, you know, keep his job and maintain his life.

[00:21:09]Hopefully, he learned from this whole thing that sovereign citizen crap doesn't work in court. But yeah, guys, thank you so much for watching. I will see you in the next one.

[00:21:17]>> This case serves as a powerful reminder that courtroom outcomes are determined by evidence, procedure, and established law, not by internet theories or self-created legal interpretations.

[00:21:29]The judge found the state's evidence credible. The defendant chose not to challenge key testimony percent witnesses or testify on his own behalf.

[00:21:38]And the court ultimately entered guilty findings on all counts.

[00:21:42]What stands out most is that despite rejecting every jurisdictional argument, the judge still showed consideration during sentencing by trying to minimize the impact on the defendant's employment.

[00:21:53]It's a lesson in how courts balance accountability with practicality.

[00:21:57]If you found this case as shocking as we did, make sure to hit that like button, share your thoughts in the comments, and don't forget to subscribe for more jaw-dropping courtroom breakdowns.