bill of attainder

n. pl. bills of attainder A legislative act that pronounces a person guilty of a crime and imposes an attainder. The US Constitution prohibits bills of attainder.

bill of attainder

n (Law) (formerly) a legislative act finding a person guilty without trial of treason or felony and declaring him attainted. See also attainder¹

bill′ of attain′der

n. a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without trial. [1860–65]

Thesaurus

Noun

bill of attainder - a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without a trial; "bills of attainder are prohibited by the Constitution of the United States"bill, measure - a statute in draft before it becomes law; "they held a public hearing on the bill"law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"

bill of attainder

Bill of Attainder

A special legislative enactment that imposes a death sentence without a judicial trial upon a particular person or class of persons suspected of committing serious offenses, such as Treason or a felony.

A bill of attainder is prohibited by Article I, Section 9, Clause 3 of the Constitution because it deprives the person or persons singled out for punishment of the safeguards of a trial by jury.

bill of attainder

n. a legislative act which declares a named person guilty of a crime, particularly treason. Such bills are prohibited by Article I, Section 9 of the Constitution.

bill of attainder

formerly, a legislative act finding a person guilty without trial of treason or felony and declaring him attainted. See ATTAINDER.

BILL OF ATTAINDER, legislation, punishment. An act of the legislature by which one or more persons are declared to be attainted, and their property confiscated.
2. The Constitution of the United States declares that no state shall pass any bill of attainder.
3. During the revolutionary war, bills of attainder, and ox post facto acts of confiscation, were passed to a wide extent. The evils resulting from them, in times of more cool reflection, were discovered to have far outweighed any imagined good. Story on Const. Sec. 1367. Vide Attainder; Bill of Pains and Penalties.

bill of attainder

bill of attainder

bill of attainder

bill′ of attain′der

bill of attainder

Bill of Attainder

bill of attainder

bill of attainder

bill of attainder

Words related to bill of attainder

noun a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without a trial

Related Words