Alaska Judge Dismisses Electronic Surveillance in Alaska Militia Case
The court’s decision to bar the recordings has the potential to offer an irreparable blow to the state’s case, where Cox faces far more serious charges, including kidnapping and conspiracy to commit murder.
Cox, who self-identifies as a “sovereign citizen,” believes that the government has no authority over him or his fellow sovereigns. The antigovernment movement has grown dramatically in recent years, with no signs of slowing as more and more people look for answers in a punishing economy and turn to the movement’s extraordinary promises.
At the time of his arrest in March, investigators charged that Cox and his compatriots had begun “extensive surveillance on troopers in the Fairbanks area … specifically on the location of the home for two troopers.” Cox’s Alaska Peacemakers Militia had also begun acquiring a large cache of weapons, many of which are prohibited by state or federal law.
The ruling hinges on a marked distinction between federal and state law. While federal law allows the Justice Department to have confidential sources record conversations without a warrant, Alaska does not.