Tuesday 8 January 2013

Driver Licensing vs. Right to Travel

Original Article: "Driver Licensing vs. Right to Travel
 http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/DLbrief.shtml
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Driver Licensing vs. Right to Travel  

Author Unknown  

The following argument has been used in at least three states (Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia) as a legal brief to support a demand for dismissal of charges of "driving without a license."  It is the argument that was the reason for the charges to be dropped, or for a "win" in court against the argument that free people can have their right to travel regulated by their servants.  The forgotten legal maxim is that free people have a right to travel on the roads which are provided by their servants for that purpose, using ordinary transportation of the day.  Licensing cannot be required of free people, because taking on the restrictions of a license requires the surrender of a right.  The driver's license can be required of people who use the highways for trade, commerce, or hire; that is, if they earn their living on the road, and if they use extraordinary machines on the roads.  If you are not using the highways for profit, you cannot be required to have a driver's license
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Original Article: "Right to Travel http://www.lawfulpath.com/ref/right2travel.shtml 
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Right To Travel

DESPITE ACTIONS OF POLICE AND LOCAL COURTS,
HIGHER COURTS HAVE RULED THAT AMERICAN CITIZENS
HAVE A RIGHT TO TRAVEL WITHOUT STATE PERMITS

By Jack McLamb (from Aid & Abet Newsletter)
For years professionals within the criminal justice system have acted on the belief that traveling by motor vehicle was a privilege that was given to a citizen only after approval by their state government in the form of a permit or license to drive.  In other words, the individual must be granted the privilege before his use of the state highways was considered legalLegislators, police officers, and court officials are becoming aware that there are court decisions that disprove the belief that driving is a privilege and therefore requires government approval in the form of a license

Presented here are some of these cases:

CASE #1: "The use of the highway for the purpose of travel and transportation is not a mere privilege, but a common fundamental right of which the public and individuals cannot rightfully be deprived."  Chicago Motor Coach v. Chicago, 169 NE 221.


CASE #2: "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 or permit at will, but a common law right which he has under the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Thompson v. Smith, 154 SE 579.


It could not be stated more directly or conclusively that citizens of the states have a common law right to travel, without approval or restriction (license), and that this right is protected under the U.S Constitution.

CASE #3: "The right to travel is a part of the liberty of which the citizen cannot be deprived without due process of law under the Fifth Amendment."  Kent v. Dulles, 357 US 116, 125.


CASE #4: "The right to travel is a well-established common right that does not owe its existence to the federal governmentIt is recognized by the courts as a natural right." Schactman v. Dulles 96 App DC 287, 225 F2d 938, at 941.