"No State shall enter into any Treaty, Alliance, or Confederation; grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal; coin Money; emit Bills of Credit; make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts; pass any Bill of Attainder, ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility.”
2006-09-05 16:34:07 · 13 answers · asked by IRunWithScissors 3 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
seriously can anyone answer my question. what is the bill of atainders and ex facto law ? thats what i need clarrification on .
2006-09-05 16:41:01 · update #1
The bill of atainders part and ex facto law, cora
2006-09-05 16:44:27 · update #2
What part is unclear? Here are the most obscure...
A "bill of attainder" is a legislative declaration of guilt. It's when Congress or a state legislature declares some person or some group to be criminal, without a trial. Example: passing a law that says "all communists are criminal".
An "ex post facto" law makes something illegal after the fact, or retroactively increases a penalty for a past action. People can only be punished for what they do after the law is passed.
"Impairing the Obligations of Contracts" means passing a law that changes contractual duties for already existing agreements. Like the previous, the law can only apply forward, not retroactively, though this clause has a less stringent standard that the previous.
"Letters of Marque" are permissions for privateers (private naval forces) to engage and raid foreign ships.
2006-09-05 16:42:47 · answer #1 · answered by coragryph 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
It says:
1. No state can enter a treaty, confederation, or alliance with another state or country.
2. States cannot make their own money, or give credit to people.
3. States cannot pass a bill of attainder which is a bill that declares a person or group of persons guilty of some crime, and punishing them, without benefit of a trial.
4. States cannot pass an ex posto factor law which is a law that punishes someone for what they did before the law was passed.
5. States cannot grant a tilte of nobility i.e they cannot name someone king, or knight, or anything like that.
That is about it.
2006-09-05 16:43:53 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Break it down into single parts. Each thing listed there, each individual state cannot do on it's own as if it was it's own country. The states have a lot of independent power that is separate from the federal government's power, but only to a certain extent. There are some things that can be done only by the Federal Government. For example, if our country is at war with another country, Alabama (for example) cannot go an make their own treaty with that country, or make it Alabama's ally. Now that you know that, take each part of that passage and find out what it is, and you'll then know that a state cannot do those things.
2006-09-05 16:44:29 · answer #3 · answered by Speaking_Up 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Bill of attainders means the LEGISLATIVE branch passes a bill (law) declaring you are individually a criminal and ordering your arrest and detention. Common in colonial times. House of Commons would simply pass bill ordering so and so to be arrested and held and he would be, until releaserd by House of commons. Ex post facto also not uncommon during this period as an anti-sedition law. You would commit an act, say print a certain statement in your newspaper and the House would vote it to be criminal act after it was done when until then it was legal. Still powerful legs of constitutional law.
2006-09-05 18:00:52 · answer #4 · answered by frankie59 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do a Yahoo search on "ex post facto" and "bills of attainder." You'll get them both clarified. Briefly, laws cannot be passed to punish someone for an act which was NOT a crime when he/she committed the act. And individuals or groups cannot be singled out for punishment without a trial.
2006-09-05 16:56:01 · answer #5 · answered by gpicon7 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It means that George Bush broke the law when he signed the North American Security and Prosperity Pact. It means that Woodrow Wilson broke the law when he signed the Federal Reserve into Existence and that there is an ongoing effort to destroy the United States of America and people need to wake up and put a stop to it now.
2006-09-05 16:39:32 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No, I think it was the Articles of Confederation that pre-dated the US Constitution but wasn't ratified.
The give away is the part about being allowed to gold and silver as legal tender for payment. That is expressly restricted to the federal government.
Check out the AC.
2006-09-05 16:49:51 · answer #7 · answered by iraq51 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This passage relates to a need for national uniformity under one government( not several states acting on their own): The United States of America (the Federal government).
2006-09-05 16:37:23 · answer #8 · answered by John D 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
These are the things states cannot do. The major ones are that only the national government can conduct diplomacy and print money.
2006-09-05 16:36:14 · answer #9 · answered by Charles D 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is just reserving all those powers for the federal government.
2006-09-05 16:36:06 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋