What is "posse comitatus"

Posse comitatus \Pos"se com`i*ta"tus\ [L. posse to be able, to have power + LL. comitatus a county, from comes, comitis, a count. See County, and Power.]

1. (Law) The power of the county, or the citizens who may be summoned by the sheriff to assist the authorities in suppressing a riot, or executing any legal precept which is forcibly opposed.
   --Blackstone.

2. A collection of people; a throng; a rabble. [Colloq.]

   Note: The word comitatus is often omitted, and posse alone used. ``A whole posse of enthusiasts.''
   --Carlyle.

   As if the passion that rules were the sheriff of the place, and came off with all the posse.
   --Locke.

n. 1 (context historical English) The able-bodied men over 15 in a given county who can be summoned by the sheriff to help keep the peace, or arrest a felon; also a group of men so gathered. 2 (context figuratively English) Any band of men, especially armed or hostile.

n. a temporary police force [syn: posse]

The Posse Comitatus (Latin, "force of the county") is a loosely organized, far-right social movement in the United States starting in the late 1960s, whose members spread a conspiracy-minded, anti-government and anti-Semitic message in the name of white Christians to counter what they believe is an attack on their social and political rights.

Many Posse members practice survivalism and played a role in the formation of the armed citizens' militias in the 1990s. The Posse Comitatus pioneered the use of false liens and other types of " paper terrorism" to harass opponents with frivolous legal actions.

Posse comitatus may refer to:

• Posse comitatus, the authority of a law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him
• Posse Comitatus (organization), a loosely organized far right social movement that opposes the United States federal government and believes in localism
• "Posse Comitatus", a ninth-season episode of the TV series JAG
• "Posse Comitatus" (The West Wing), the third season finale of the TV series The West Wing

Posse comitatus is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff, or other law officer, to conscript any able-bodied man to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the " hue and cry." Originally found in English common law, it is generally obsolete; however, it survives in the United States, where it is the law enforcement equivalent of summoning the militia for military purposes.