Bill of attainder - The Great Act of Attainder

A bill of attainder (also known as an act or writ of attainder) was an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime, and punishing them, without benefit of a trial. The United States Constitution forbids both the federal and state governments from enacting bills of attainder, in Article 1, Sections 9 and 10, respectively. They were abolished in the United Kingdom in 1870. The word "attainder", meaning "taintedness", is part of English common law. Under English law, a criminal cond ...

Including:

• Bill of attainder - American usage
• Bill of attainder - The Great Act of Attainder

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Bills of attainder were used through the 18th century in England, and were applied to English colonies as well. One of the motivations for the American revolution was anger at the injustice of attainder—though the Americans themselves used bills of attainder to confiscate the property of English loyalists (called tories) during the revolution. American dissatisfaction with attainder laws motivated their prohibition in the Constitution (see the case of Parker Wickham). The provision forbidding state law bills of attainder reflects the importance that the framers attached to this issue, since the unamended constitution impose ...

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Bill of attainder, Bill of attainder - American usage, Bill of attainder - The Great Act of Attainder

Read more here: » Bill of attainder: Encyclopedia II - Bill of attainder - American usage