In March 2023, Jack Eugene Carpenter III of Tipton, Michigan, was indicted in the Eastern District of Michigan for transmitting interstate threats to injure others. The charges stemmed from a series of Twitter posts Carpenter made while in Texas, in which he threatened to kill Jewish government officials in Michigan. One post read, in part, “I’m heading back to Michigan now threatening to carry out the punishment of death to anyone that is Jewish in the Michigan govt if they don’t leave, or confess.” In another post, Carpenter warned that any attempt by law enforcement to subdue him would be met with “deadly force in self-defense.” The criminal complaint noted that Carpenter was known to own several firearms, including three 9mm pistols, a shotgun, and two hunting rifles, and was under investigation for the theft of an additional weapon.
He was arrested in Texas on February 21, 2023, and subsequently transported to Michigan for prosecution. The FBI, in conjunction with the Michigan State Police, investigated the case, and U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison emphasized the serious consequences for threats based on religious bias. Carpenter faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
Following his arrest and subsequent competency evaluations, U.S. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith found Carpenter incompetent to stand trial and committed him to the custody of the Attorney General for treatment at MCFP Springfield in Missouri.
In April 2025, Carpenter, who is still in federal custody, filed a pro se civil lawsuit against Judge Goldsmith. In his lawsuit, Carpenter proclaimed himself a “sovereign monarch” of a self-declared nation, the “Kingdom of Heaven.” He argued that, as a foreign sovereign, he was immune from prosecution and that Judge Goldsmith lacked jurisdiction over him. Carpenter invoked the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA), 28 U.S.C. § 1604, which generally shields foreign states from U.S. court jurisdiction. arguing that the judge lacked jurisdiction over him because he is a “sovereign monarch” of a self-declared foreign nation. He invoked the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) and claimed that his criminal prosecution violated principles of sovereign immunity.
On May 6, 2025, U.S. District Judge Laurie J. Michelson dismissed Carpenter’s complaint as frivolous, though she allowed him to proceed in forma pauperis. The court emphasized that Carpenter’s sovereign citizen arguments are legally baseless and do not divest federal courts of jurisdiction. The FSIA, the court explained, does not apply to individuals, nor does it shield anyone from criminal prosecution. Moreover, Judge Goldsmith is protected by absolute judicial immunity for actions taken within his judicial capacity.
Carpenter had previously filed a similar lawsuit against his federal public defender, which was likewise dismissed as incoherent and frivolous. Judge Michelson joined a long line of federal courts in finding that sovereign citizen claims are consistently rejected as meritless and a waste of judicial resources.
Source: Carpenter v. Goldsmith, No. 25-10940 (E.D. Mich. May 6, 2025)