Found 1 items, similar to Squatter sovereignty.
English → English (gcide) Definition: Squatter sovereignty Squatter \Squat"ter\ (-t[~e]r), n. 1. One who squats; specifically, one who settles unlawfully upon land without a title. In the United States and Australia the term is sometimes applied also to a person who settles lawfully upon government land under legal permission and restrictions, before acquiring title. [1913 Webster] In such a tract, squatters and trespassers were tolerated to an extent now unknown. --Macaulay. [1913 Webster] 2. (Zo["o]l.) See Squat snipe, under Squat. [1913 Webster] Squatter sovereignty, the right claimed by the squatters, or actual residents, of a Territory of the United States to make their own laws. [Local, U.S.] --Bartlett. [1913 Webster]