Analysis by Lawyerdude:
List of Cases cited by Jack McLamb in his
brief:
Chicago Motor Coach v.
Chicago, 169
NE 22.
Kent
v. Dulles, 357 US 116, 125.
Schactman v. Dulles, 96 App DC 287, 293.
Thompson v. Smith, 154 SE 179.
For many years professionals within the
criminal justice system have acted upon the belief that traveling by motor
vehicle upon the roadway was a privilege that was gained by a citizen only after
approval by their respective state governments in the form of a permit or
drivers license.
Legislators, police officers, and court
officials are being made aware that there are court decisions disproving the
opinion that traveling is a privilege that requires government approval.
"Even the legislature has no power to deny
to a citizen the right to travel upon the highway and transport his property in
the ordinary course of his business or pleasure, though this right may be
regulated in accordance with the public interest and convenience."
Chicago
Motor Coach v. Chicago, 169 NE 22.
("Regulated" here means traffic safety
enforcement: stop lights, signs, etc.) [Lawyerdude says: Yup. That sounds
reasonable. Consider also that the highway patrol was originally created to
carry gasoline to help stranded motorists - although don't see much about that
on the net.]
"The right of the citizen to travel upon
the public highways and to transport his property thereon, either by carriage or
by automobile, is not a mere privilege which a city may prohibit at will, but a
common right which he has under the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness." Thompson v. Smith, 154 SE 179.
It could not be stated more conclusively
that citizens of the states have a right to travel, without approval or
restrictions (license), and that this right is protected under the U.S.
Constitution. Here are other court decisions that expound the same facts:
"The right to travel is a part of the
liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under
the 5th Amendment."
Kent v. Dulles, 357 US 116, 125.
"Undoubtedly the right of locomotion, the
right to move from one place to another according to inclination, is an
attribute of personal liberty, and the right, ordinarily, of free transit from
or through the territory of any State is a right secured by the 14th amendment
and by other provisions of the Constitution." Schactman v. Dulles, 96 App DC
287, 293.
As hard as it is for those in law
enforcement to believe, there is no room for speculation in these court
decisions. The American citizen does indeed have the inalienable right to use
the roadways unrestricted in any manner as long as they are not damaging or
violating property or rights of others.
Government, in requiring the people to file
for drivers license, vehicle registrations, mandatory insurance, and demanding
they stop for vehicle inspections, roadblocks, etc. are restricting and
therefore violating the peoples' common law right to travel.
Is this a new legal interpretation on this
subject? Apparently not. The American Citizens and Lawmen Association, in
conjunction with the U.S. Federal Law Research Center are presently involved in
studies in several areas involving questions on constitutional law. One of the
many areas under review is that of the citizen's right to travel. A spokesman
stated in an interview:
"Upon researching this subject over many
months, substantial case law has presented itself that completely substantiates
the position that the `right to travel unrestricted upon the nations highways'
is and always has been a fundamental right of every Citizen."
This means that the beliefs and opinions of
our state legislators, the courts, and those of us involved in the law
enforcement profession have acted upon for years have been in error. Researchers
armed with actual facts state that
U.S. case
law is overwhelming. To restrict in any fashion the movement of the individual
American, in free exercise of the right to travel upon the roadways (excluding
commerce, which the state legislatures are correct in regulating), is a serious
breach of those freedoms secured by the U.S. Constitution, as well as most state
constitutions.
Our system of law dictates that there is
only one way to remove a right belonging to the people. That is by a person
knowingly waiving a particular right.
Some of the confusion in our present system
has arisen because many millions of people have waived their right to travel
unrestricted, and opted into the jurisdiction of the state. Those who have
knowingly given up these rights are legally regulated by state law, and must
obtain permits, registrations, insurance, etc.
Every police officer should keep the
following
U.S. court ruling in mind before issuing
citations:
"The claim and exercise of a Constitutional
right cannot be converted into a crime." Miller v.
U.S., F.2d
486, 489.
Reprinted from a special edition of "Aid
and Abet" bulletin #11, P.O. Box 8787,
Phoenix,
AZ. 85066, by Officer Jack McLamb.
It is important to be aware of a different
point of view about traffic since a near police state exists on
America's
highways today. Traffic Support Services' goal is to reestablish the RIGHT to
travel!