Acorn fights backIf you are like me, you probably don’t know what a “bill of attainder” is. At least I didn’t know until I began looking at the lawsuit the Center for Constitutional Rights just filed against the U.S. Government on behalf of the group Acorn.
Turns out a bill of attainder refers to a legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial — an act prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed Thursday in a Brooklyn, New York federal court, alleges that when Congress cut off all funding to Acorn (an acronym for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) beginning Oct. 1 without first conducting an investigation or holding a hearing, the group was unfairly targeted for the type of punitive action the Constitution is supposed to protect against.
The Congressional Research Service, in an independent analysis, previously warned Congress that the so-called Defund Acorn Act appeared to indeed be a bill of attainder because it specifically targeted the organization.
The lawsuit also alleges that, because Congress didn’t just cutoff funding to Acorn but included other organizations affiliated or allied with the nonprofit organization, Acorn’s First Amendment rights of free speech and association have been violated. It’s also alleged that the group’s Fifth Amendment guarantee to due process has been violated. ..........(more)
The complete piece is at:
http://www.metrotimes.com/blog/newsblawg.asp?perm=911
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