Definition

1. Noun:
   • A legislative act that declares a person or group of persons guilty of a crime (typically treason or a felony) and imposes punishment without a judicial trial. Such acts are considered a violation of the principle of separation of powers and fundamental justice.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The king signed a bill of attainder to seize the lands of the disgraced noble.
  • The Constitution explicitly forbids the passage of a bill of attainder.
  • Historians studied the use of bills of attainder in 16th-century England.

Advanced Usage

• Conceptual Usage: The term is primarily used in historical and legal-political contexts to describe and condemn a specific type of legislative overreach. It is a key concept in constitutional law regarding due process.
  • The court's decision emphasized that the law functioned as a bill of attainder because it singled out a specific individual for punishment.
• In Constitutional Discourse: The prohibition against bills of attainder is a fundamental guarantee of individual liberty against arbitrary government power.
  • The legal scholar argued that the measure, while popular, risked being struck down as a bill of attainder.

Variants and Related Words

• Attainder (n): The legal consequence of a bill of attainder, which historically included the loss of civil rights, property, and the right to pass an inheritance to heirs ("corruption of blood").
• Bill of pains and penalties: A similar legislative act that imposes punishments less severe than death (e.g., imprisonment, fines). It is often discussed alongside and prohibited with bills of attainder.

Synonyms

• Legislative punishment
• Trial by legislature

Related Concepts (Not Phrasal Verbs or Idioms)

• Ex post facto law: A law that retroactively criminalizes an action or increases punishment, which is also prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
• Due process: The legal requirement that the state must respect all legal rights owed to a person, including the right to a fair trial, which a bill of attainder denies.
• Separation of powers: The division of government responsibilities into distinct branches (legislative, executive, judicial) to prevent the concentration of power. A bill of attainder represents the legislative branch usurping the judicial function.

Noun

1. 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