Score One for the 10th Amendment

Dave Mattis, Sherriff of Bighorn County, Utah, said at a recent press conference:


"I am reacting in response to the actions of federal employees who have attempted to deprive citizens of my county of their privacy, their liberty, and their property without regard to constitutional safeguards. I hope that more sheriffs all across America will join us in protecting their citizens from the illegal activities of the IRS, EPA, BATF, FBI, or any other federal agency that is operating outside the confines of constitutional law. Employees of the IRS and the EPA are no longer welcome in Bighorn County unless they intend to operate in conformance to constitutional law."

Mattis and other members of the Wyoming Sherrif's Association had recently won a District Court case (Case No. 2:96-cv-099-J (2006)) against the BATF and IRS for mucking around with Wyoming citizens without notification or consent of the sherrif. Said the District Court: "the duly elected sheriff of a county is the highest law enforcement official within a county and has law enforcement powers EXCEEDING that of any other state OR federal official."