Canadian Judge Bows to Sovereign Man

This video has been making the rounds in liberty circles these days.

Case Dismissed with Cause and Prejudice Judge bows to Sovereign

The man in the video, Keith, was called into court because he parked his own car on his own lawn – apparently some sort of crime in Canada. The judge seemed very adamant about getting Keith to identify himself as “Keith Thompson” and raised his voice a number of times. The judge even requests that Keith be removed from the courtroom. A few bailiffs appear on screen, seeming ready to honor the judges request, but Keith asks them to back away from him and they comply. Keith gets one of the bailiffs to take some paperwork, and shortly thereafter the judge takes a recess. Now for the most interesting part – just before he leaves the courtroom, the judge bows in the direction of Keith.

In America, bowing is generally seen as a very formal custom. There are very few places where we use it. Of course, every culture is different, so I wasn’t sure what the customs were for Canada. With very minimal research, I found the Wikipedia page on Canadian court customs. From that article I found, “In most jurisdictions, when entering or leaving a courtroom when there is a judge seated inside, one should bow, while standing inside the court but near the doorway, in the direction of the seated judge. Many lawyers also bow when crossing the bar.”

That implies that the general public should bow into and out of the courtroom if there is a judge present, but says nothing of what customs the judge should follow for respect. I have never seen a judge show respect for the people, but things may be different in Canada. Another interesting thing to note is that when the judge leaves, one woman bows back to him. (seen at 2:14) I’m assuming this woman is the clerk, and therefore on the side of the state – along with the judge. But if that is the case, it is curious that the bailiffs do not bow back to the judge.

I still had questions about this video, so I sent a message to Keith. I specifically wondered what was the paper he handed to the bailiff that appeared to send the judge off the bench. He informed me that was his birth certificate – what he believed the courts were really after. He also had documentation on him that showed his, “oath of office as a peace officer hired by the people, not the crown,” which he asserts is the reason the bailiffs would not touch him.

I have already heard many arguments that this video is based on so-called “liberty conspiracies” such as Capitis Diminutio Maxima and the Straw Man argument. I don’t have much knowledge on those subjects, but I can tell you what I love about this video. First of all, Keith stays very calm and clearly explains himself, even with the judge yelling at him and bailiffs surrounding him. He does not blindly submit to the court’s jurisdiction – he wears what he wants, stands where he wants, and does not show arbitrary respect for people who haven’t earned it. I believe he has earned some level of respect from the bailiffs in the video, or they would have hauled him out of there at the very first request of the judge. Having the bailiffs on your side is a great first step in being able to show the truth in the courts.

Hopefully Keith and his friends will continue to spread the message of liberty throughout Canada. We could always use more peace-minded neighbors.