San Bernardino county Jural Society

De Facto vs. De Jure: The Corporate Nature of Modern Governance

The San Bernardino County Jural Society educates the People on the clear distinction between de jure governance (original, lawful authority rooted in natural law, common law, the Constitution, and biblical principles) and de facto governance (corporate, commercial, statutory systems).

Modern federal, state, and county entities operate with corporate characteristics—using commercial identifiers for contracts, grants, and intergovernmental business—placing them in a de facto framework separate from the original de jure Republic and the sovereignty of We the People.

Our de jure assembly, formally settled February 20, 2025, stands apart from these corporate structures to restore original jurisdiction under God’s authority (Romans 13:1; Micah 6:8).

Key Corporate Identifiers & Characteristics

1. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Federal Government)

• De facto corporate status: Functions as a commercial entity for contracting and funding, historically tied to the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871 (creating a municipal corporation for D.C. governance).
• Former identifier (pre-2022): DUNS numbers used by agencies for federal awards.
• Current identifier: Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) assigned via SAM.gov (effective April 4, 2022; DUNS fully phased out).
• Classification: NAICS 921110 (Executive Offices); SIC 9111.
• Executive address: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20500.
• Core point: Engages in widespread commercial activity, distinguishing de facto operations from the original de jure Republic.

2. STATE OF CALIFORNIA

• De facto corporate status: Registers and operates commercially for federal grants, contracts, and business dealings.
• Former identifier (pre-2022): DUNS numbers used by state agencies for federal interactions.
• Current identifier: Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) via SAM.gov registration.
• EIN: 94-6001347
• Classification: NAICS 921110 (Executive Offices); SIC 9111.
• Executive address: 1303 10th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814.
• Core point: Acts as a corporate subcontractor in federal systems, separate from the original California Republic.

3. SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY

• De facto corporate status: Incorporated as a municipal corporation under California law; contracts, receives federal funds, and conducts business with commercial identifiers.
• Former identifier (pre-2022): DUNS numbers used for county grants and contracts.
• Current identifier: Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) via SAM.gov.
• Classification: NAICS 921110 (Executive Offices), 922120 (Police Protection), etc.; SIC 9111, 9221.
• Administrative address: 385 N. Arrowhead Ave, San Bernardino, CA 92415.
• Scale: ~22,000 employees; multi-billion-dollar annual budget.
• Core point: Operates as a corporate entity for funding and services, distinct from the People’s de jure assembly on the land.

Why This Matters

These corporate layers enable de facto systems to prioritize commercial and statutory rules over the inalienable, God-given rights of the People. Our peaceful jural assembly reclaims lawful authority without contracting into these structures.

De Jure vs. De Facto

A de jure entity, in the context of jural societies or common law assemblies (like the San Bernardino county Jural Society), stands to derive its authority directly from natural law, common law, original constitutional jurisdiction, God’s authority (e.g., Romans 13:1), and the inherent sovereignty of the living People—not from any statutory grant or permission by a de facto (corporate/statutory) government.

Incorporating as a nonprofit (or any corporation) under state law fundamentally conflicts with this claimed de jure status for the following core reasons:

1. Incorporation creates a state-created artificial person
   When you file articles of incorporation (even for a nonprofit under laws like California’s Nonprofit Corporation Law), the state grants the entity legal existence as a fictional “person” or corporate entity. This is a privilege bestowed by the de facto government, not an inherent right. From the de jure perspective, true assemblies of the People are living, organic, sovereign bodies—not artificial constructs created by statute. By accepting incorporation, the entity submits to being a “creature of the state,” inherently de facto in nature.
2. It contracts into de facto jurisdiction and statutory rules
   Incorporation is viewed as entering a commercial contract with the state: you agree to follow corporate codes, file annual reports, pay fees, submit to state oversight (e.g., dissolution powers, fiduciary duties), and operate under statutory (admiralty/commercial) law rather than pure common/natural law. This allegedly waives or compromises original jurisdiction. Sovereign perspectives hold that accepting such a “benefit” or “franchise” binds the entity to the very de facto system the assembly seeks to distinguish itself from and restore against.
3. It shifts from sovereign assembly to corporate subordinate
   A de jure assembly claims superiority over de facto structures—operating “on the land” as We the People, without needing permission. Incorporation reverses this: the entity becomes subordinate to the state that created it. Courts and agencies treat incorporated nonprofits as statutory creatures subject to regulation, not as inherent sovereign bodies. This undermines the foundational claim of operating exclusively under original/de jure authority, separate from corporate governance.
4. Ideological and practical risks
   • Loss of purity: Many in these movements see incorporation as “contracting with the enemy” (the de facto corporate state), potentially turning the assembly into another “strawman” entity under the system they reject.
   • Accountability shift: Members/leaders could face corporate fiduciary duties instead of voluntary, consensual common law obligations.
   • Tax-exempt status trap: Seeking 501(c)(3) requires IRS approval, further entangling with federal de facto systems (viewed as illegitimate post-1933/14th Amendment shifts in sovereign views).

In summary, a de jure entity cannot incorporate while retaining its de jure status because incorporation inherently converts it into a de facto, state-franchised artificial person—surrendering the very claim of independent, God-given, original-jurisdiction sovereignty.