"ex post facto" (Latin)

What does the Latin term ex post facto mean?

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"Ex post facto" is a Latin term that translates to "from after the fact" or "retroactively." It refers to a law or action that is applied retroactively, meaning it affects events or actions that occurred before the law was enacted or the action was taken.

Examples in Sentences

Here are three example sentences using the term "ex post facto":

The new legislation was deemed unconstitutional as it imposed ex post facto penalties, punishing individuals for actions that were legal at the time.
The policy change was not implemented ex post facto, so it only applied to future contracts and did not affect existing agreements.
The court ruled that applying the law ex post facto would violate the defendant's constitutional rights and undermine the principle of fairness.