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A '''bill of attainder''' is a [[legislative]] act that harms the life or property of specifically identified persons or groups. It declares a specific person or group of persons (e.g., someone's children) to be guilty of a crime without a trial.<ref name="thefreedictionary.com">http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Bill+of+attainder</ref>

A '''bill of attainder''' is a [[legislative]] act that harms the life or property of specifically identified persons or groups. It declares a specific person or group of persons (e.g., someone's children) to be guilty of a crime without a trial.<ref name="thefreedictionary.com">http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Bill+of+attainder</ref> It can be civil or criminal, and is most often a civil issue in the 21st century.

In the [[common law]] of [[England]] before the [[American Revolution]], bills of attainder condemned specific persons to death.  The [[Framers]] of the [[Constitution]] wanted to end that, and prohibited both the federal government ([[Full Text of the United States Constitution#Section. 9.|Article I, Section 9, Clause 3]]) and the states ([[Full Text of the United States Constitution#Section. 10.|Article I, Section 10, Clause 1]]) from passing bills of attainder under the doctrine of [[separation of powers]].<ref name="thefreedictionary.com"/>  The Founders felt so strongly about this that bills of attainder and [[ex post facto]] laws are the only laws that the original [[Constitution]] prohibits both the federal government and states from ever passing.

In the [[common law]] of [[England]] before the [[American Revolution]], bills of attainder condemned specific persons to death.  The [[Framers]] of the [[Constitution]] wanted to end that, and prohibited both the federal government ([[Full Text of the United States Constitution#Section. 9.|Article I, Section 9, Clause 3]]) and the states ([[Full Text of the United States Constitution#Section. 10.|Article I, Section 10, Clause 1]]) from passing bills of attainder under the doctrine of [[separation of powers]].<ref name="thefreedictionary.com"/>  The Founders felt so strongly about this that bills of attainder and [[ex post facto]] laws are the only laws that the original [[Constitution]] prohibits both the federal government and states from ever passing.