Courts call for extra security to deal with ‘menacing’ sovereign citizens

Sovereign citizens are increasingly attending South Australian courts, threatening staff and disrupting proceedings.

Extra security measures are needed to protect judicial staff and members of the public from disruptive and “menacing” sovereign citizens who gather in large numbers at South Australian courts, the Courts Administration Authority says.

The authority is appealing to the state government to bolster security at courts across the state following numerous instances of threatening and distressing conduct by a growing number of sovereign citizens, who believe they are immune to government law.

“Sovereign citizens have displayed disruptive conduct, including not complying with reasonable directions of Sheriff’s Officers and judiciary, the use of abusive language, and attempts to film proceedings,” a CAA spokesperson said.

“Sovereign citizens have also posted threatening remarks online, naming staff and judiciary.

“These behaviours are threatening and distressing to those targeted, including judiciary, prosecutors, staff and court users.”

Sovereign citizens regularly attend court buildings across SA, including the Sir Samuel Way Building and Adelaide Magistrates Court as well as smaller courts such as the Mount Barker and Murray Bridges facilities.

The spokesperson said the CAA was putting a case to the government “for additional resources to enhance security for court buildings across the state due to increased sovereign citizen and other extremist group activity”.

The Adelaide Magistrates Court. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

In the recently released CAA 2023/24 annual report, SA’s chief justice and chair of the State Courts Administration Council Chris Kourakis said the authority had been actively monitoring “the growth in a particular class of litigant who describe themselves as ‘sovereign citizen’.

Chief Justice Kourakis said groups of sovereign citizens have congregated in large numbers in and around courts on several occasions, “causing some concern to staff and other court users”.

He also said they were unnecessarily clogging up the courts with baseless litigation.

“They conduct often unmeritorious litigation in a way which wastes time and consumes a disproportionate amount of the courts’ resources,” he wrote.

“Their presence in the community and in the courts is on the rise, both here and interstate.

“We are actively considering how to better manage the litigation to which they are parties and their presence in and around the courts generally.”

A state government spokesperson said the government had “no tolerance” for anyone who sought to disrupt the work of the justice system, or put the safety of court staff and the public at risk.

“The Courts Administration Authority regularly undertakes upgrades at court sites across the state from within their budget allocation,” they said.

“Should further funding be sought, that will be considered through the state budget process.”

The spokesperson said the government would “continue working with the Courts Administration Authority to ensure emerging challenges such as these are worked through”.