By: Joel Stephen Mattson
You were born a living man or woman. But the moment your birth was recorded by the state, a legal fiction was created in your name. That fiction—the ALL-CAPS NAME—became the entity that government interacts with, taxes, fines, licenses, prosecutes, and regulates.
In this article, we’ll break down how government uses legal fictions to bypass the Constitution, deceive the people, and strip you of your rights—while pretending you’re still free.
WHAT IS A LEGAL FICTION?
A legal fiction is a lie accepted by the system for the sake of procedure. The most common legal fiction is the all-caps version of your name, created by the government when your birth certificate was registered.
This name is not a grammatical error—it is a commercial entity.
- It’s not a person
- It’s not a citizen
- It’s a corporate trust or vessel created for administrative purposes
When the government interacts with you, they’re not interacting with you as a living being—they’re interacting with that legal entity, and unless you object, they presume the two are the same.
WHY LEGAL FICTIONS REPLACE THE PEOPLE
Real men and women have unalienable rights. Governments can’t lawfully tax, regulate, or control you without jurisdiction and consent. But corporations can be taxed. Trusts can be managed. Legal entities can be regulated.
So instead of governing people, they govern the fiction—and then trick you into thinking that fiction is you.
This is the core deception. And it’s used in:
- Court cases
- Driver’s licenses
- Tax documents
- Bank accounts
- Government IDs
- Social Security numbers
Every one of these ties back to the all-caps NAME. That’s the strawman they built—and unless you separate yourself from it, they will hold you responsible for what it does.
SUPREME COURT SUPPORT FOR THE DISTINCTION
- Hale v. Henkel, 201 U.S. 43 (1906): “There is a clear distinction in this particular case between an individual and a corporation…”
- Penhallow v. Doane’s Administrators, 3 U.S. 54 (1795): Governments are artificial entities and can only interact with other artificial entities.
- U.S. v. Minker, 350 U.S. 179 (1956): The government’s power is limited by the Constitution, and procedure must follow lawful structure.
- Clearfield Trust Co. v. United States, 318 U.S. 363 (1943): When the government acts in commerce, it is no longer sovereign and is treated as a private corporation.
These rulings make clear: legal fictions exist, but they are not you—unless you remain silent and allow them to pretend.
HOW THE SYSTEM OPERATES THROUGH FICTIONS
- The court summons the ALL-CAPS NAME
- The judge asks “Is JOHN DOE present?”
- You answer yes—without declaring your status
- Now they proceed under the presumption that you are the legal fiction
- The court treats you as the trustee of a corporate account, not a man or woman with rights
This entire game depends on ignorance and silence. They don’t tell you what’s happening. And if you don’t object, you become liable for everything the fiction does.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE DONE TO WIN THEIR CASE
Those who have broken free from this trap use status correction and legal filings to:
- Rebut joinder to the all-caps name
- File affidavits of status as living men or women
- Challenge jurisdiction in court
- Refuse administrative hearings disguised as judicial trials
- Demand constitutional authority for any action taken against them
These strategies, combined with what you’ve learned in The Truth About Case Numbers and Legal Fictions, have collapsed charges, voided judgments, and shut down unlawful proceedings across the country.
HOW JOEL STEPHEN MATTSON FORCED THEM TO DEAL WITH THE MAN, NOT THE FICTION
In both my civil rights case and the Callahan County property tax lawsuit, I never responded as the NAME. I never agreed to joinder. I filed my affidavit of status and held them accountable under the Constitution.
What did they do? Nothing. Why? Because once you separate yourself from the legal fiction, they have no standing to proceed.
They created the fiction. But they can’t prosecute a man unless you consent to become it.
HOW TO DESTROY THE FICTION IN YOUR OWN CASE
- File an affidavit declaring your status as a living man or woman
- Deny joinder to the legal fiction NAME
- Challenge all jurisdiction based on assumed identity
- Demand constitutional authority for every act
- Refuse to answer as the NAME in court
- Reserve your rights under UCC 1-308
- File and serve these documents on the public record
Once you do this, their illusion breaks. The NAME is theirs—but you don’t have to be.
RELATED ARTICLES
To go deeper into the legal fiction system and how to dismantle it, read:
- The Truth About Case Numbers and Legal Fictions
- How to Shut Down Jurisdiction with a Single Filing
- How to Challenge Every Court Presumption in One Motion
- Why Most State Statutes Are Constitutionally Void
FINAL THOUGHTS
They can’t govern you, tax you, regulate you, or prosecute you—unless you let them substitute a fiction for who you really are. Once you separate yourself from that fiction, the system has no lawful power.
Because the truth is: they’re only winning because you don’t fight back on paper.
Make the record yours.
And let their own filings take them down.
Next Article in the Series: Why the Constitution Still Protects You Even if the Courts Ignore It
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