Ex post facto law — An ex post facto law (from the Latin for after the fact ) or retroactive law, is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of acts committed or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the… … Wikipedia
expost facto — ex post fac·to (ĕks pōst făkʹtō) adj. Formulated, enacted, or operating retroactively. Used especially of a law. [Latin ex postfactō: ex, from + postfactō, ablative of postfactum, that which is done afterward.] * * * … Universalium
Ex post facto — Ex post fac to, or ||Ex postfacto Ex post fac to ([e^]ks p[=o]st f[a^]k t[ o]). [L., from what is done afterwards.] (Law) From or by an after act, or thing done afterward; in consequence of a subsequent act; retrospective. {Ex post facto law}, a… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Ex post facto law — Ex post facto Ex post fac to, or ||Ex postfacto Ex post fac to ([e^]ks p[=o]st f[a^]k t[ o]). [L., from what is done afterwards.] (Law) From or by an after act, or thing done afterward; in consequence of a subsequent act; retrospective. {Ex post… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
ex post facto — from M.L. ex postfacto, lit. from what is done afterwards … Etymology dictionary
ex post facto — [ˌɛks pəʊst faktəʊ] adjective & adverb with retrospective action or force. Origin erroneous division of L. ex postfacto in the light of subsequent events … English new terms dictionary
ex post facto — is a legal phrase meaning ‘with retrospective action or force’, as in increasing its guilt ex post facto / ex post facto laws. Strictly speaking, as Fowler (1926) noted, the spelling should be ex postfacto (meaning ‘on the basis of the later… … Modern English usage
ex post facto — adj. & adv. with retrospective action or force. Etymology: L ex postfacto in the light of subsequent events … Useful english dictionary
ex post fac|to — «EHKS POHST FAK toh», made or done after something, but applying to it. An ex post facto law applies to actions done before the law was passed. »Balanced history is always ex post facto; it must represent judgment of past events (Atlantic).… … Useful english dictionary
