[Latin: after the fact] Legislation is called ex post facto if the law attempts to extend backwards in time and punish acts committed before the date of the law's approval Such laws are constitutionally prohibited in most modern democracies For example, the USA Constitution prohibits "any ex post facto law" The only modern example of such law in the UK is the War Crimes Act 1991
After the fact, ordinarily used in reference to constitutional prohibition on ex post facto laws For example, a person cannot be punished for conduct committed before a criminal law was enacted
After the fact The Constitution prohibits the enactment of ex post facto laws These are laws that permit conviction and punishment for a lawful act performed before the law was changed and the act made illegal
Latin: after the fact Legislation is called ex post facto if the law attempts to extend backwards in time and punish acts committed before the date of the law's approval Such laws are constitutionally prohibited in most modern democracies For example, the USA Constitution prohibits "any ex post facto law"
1 Latin term meaning " after the fact " Rules especially to a law that makes punishable as a crime an act done before the passing of the law and that was innocent when done An ex post facto law is also one that makes a crime more serious than when it was committed, inflicts a greater punishment, or alters legal rules of evidence to require less or different testimony to convict than the law required when the crime was committed Such laws violate provisions of the Constitution of the United States, which provide that neither Congress nor state shall pass an ex post facto law
Term used to designate action taken to change the effect given to a set of circumstances This action relates back to a prior time and places this new effect upon the same set of circumstances existing at that time
Literally, "after the fact " This refers to laws or rules that prohibit and attempt to punish behavior engaged in legally before the enactment of the law