Amos Miller makes his first state court appearance tomorrow since the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture searched his farm under a court-issued warrant.
Miller, who claimed so-called “Sovereign Citizen” status as a defense in federal court, must appear at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 29 before Judge Thomas B. Sponaugle in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County Court of Common Pleas in Pennsylvania.
The civil action, brought by Attorney General Michelle Henry, is for Miller to sell raw and raw milk products outside the State of Pennsylvania, all without acquiring the necessary licenses and permits.
Miller’s long run in federal court, dating back to 2016, resulted in him and his attorney signing a lengthy Consent Decree, promising to complete food safety regulations governed by the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service.
Miller’s supporters depicted the Jan. 4 search of Miller’s Organic Farm as a “raid.” It brought Miller even more celebrity than his long tiff with USDA. Since Jan. 4, he has raised about $245,000 in web-based fundraising.
Several national Republicans have also depicted Miller as a victim of government overreach. However, it should be noted that the federal action occurred under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Before tomorrow’s state court appearance, Miller was ordered to refrain from selling unpasteurized, raw milk or raw milk products. Pennsylvania agricultural officials say they are just trying to persuade Miller to follow the state food safety regulations that the state’s other farmers do so willingly. Miller says on his farm’s website, “It breaks our hearts that the state of Pennsylvania is forcing us to turn so many of you away when you beg us for the food you depend on for your health.”
Miller says the injunction “will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars with multiple attorneys and legal researchers.”
Tomorrow’s hearing will tell whether the current temporary injunction will be made permanent, which Miller’s attorney claims is the state’s goal. Whether food seized from Miller on Jan. 4 was linked to human illnesses in Michigan and New York State should also be made clear.
Illness investigations in those states triggered the search warrant on Miller’s farm.
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