ex post facto laws
Defined in 1 dictionary — Case Law
Definitions from Case Law
From 71 U.S. 172 - Locke v. New Orleans · 1866Most cited · 41 citing opinions
Ex post facto laws embrace only such as impose or affect penalties or forfeitures; they do not include statutes having any other operation. The term ex post facto, literally construed, would apply to any act operating upon a previous fact, yet the restricted sense stated is the one in which it has always been held.