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An ex post facto law (from the Latin for "from after the action") or retroactive law, is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences (or status) of actions committed or relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. In reference to criminal law, it may criminalize actions that were legal when committed; or it may aggravate a crime by bringing it into a more severe category than it was in at the time it was committed; or it may change or increase the punishment prescribed for a crime, such as by adding new penalties or extending terms; or it may alter the rules of evidence in order to make conviction for a crime more likely than it would have been at the time of the action for which a defendant is prosecuted. Conversely, a form of ex post facto law commonly known as an amnesty law may decriminalize certain acts or alleviate possible punishments (for example by replacing the death sentence with life-long imprisonment) retroactively.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoexpost facto law is a law that apply to person who who violated a crime against such law that was not enacted yet.
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Bill of attainder example?
Ex post facto law definition po
What term means to punish someone for something that was not illegal when it was done?
The legal term for a law that has criminal penalties that effect people prior to the enactment of that law is called an "ex-post facto law". Ex-post facto laws are illegal in most countries and the US Constitution expressly forbids the creation or passage of an ex-post facto law.
Is it true an ex post facto law is a law that makes an act illegal after the act has been committed?
Yes, an ex post facto law cannot impose punishment on a person who committed an act before it was illegal. This includes increasing the severity of the punishment from what it was when the crime was committed. Ex post facto applies to criminal law and not civil law as interpreted by the U.S. Supreme Court. Also, some laws, for example the sex offenders registry, are considered a regulatory device for public safety and not a punitive action. no ex-post facto law after the fact. no ex-post facto law after the fact.
What is name of a law that makes something a crime after the fact?
Ex Post Facto law "Congress shall pass no Ex Post Facto law", I believe is how it appears in the constitution. It is latin for after the fact.
What type of law punishes a person for doing something that was not illegal at the time it was done?
That would be making a law retroactive to a date before the passing of the law. The US Constitution forbids doing it. That would be known as an Ex Post Facto Law and is unconstitutional.
A law passed making something illegal after the fact?
Making something illegal retroactively violates the principle of legality, which ensures that individuals have fair notice of what is prohibited. It is generally considered unjust and contrary to the rule of law because people cannot be held accountable for actions that weren't unlawful at the time they were committed.
A retroactive criminal law is called a?
Ex post facto law
Ex de facto?
The Ex Post Facto law is a law that can go backward and change the legal consequences. In Latin, it means "after the facts."
Can congress write ex post facto law?
yes
What describes a law passed after the fact?
ex post facto
How do you use ex post facto law in a sentence?
The government passed an ex post facto law that made an action illegal after it had already been committed, creating a situation where people were being punished for actions that were legal at the time they were carried out.
Which term applies to this scenario?
ex post facto law
