From: Philip Shaw <wahspilihp@gmail.com>
   To: Cari Machet <carimachet@gmail.com>
   Cc: cpunks <cypherpunks@cpunks.org>
   Sent: Monday, January 20, 2014 6:11 PM
   Subject: Re: [OT] Note to new-ish subscribers: you joined a mailing
   list, not a "group". (fwd)
   On 20 Jan 2014, at 21:38 , Cari Machet <[1]carimachet@gmail.com> wrote:
   >>
   >> FYI now they make laws that are retroactive to indict - i know of a
   case (or 5 actually) where the law was made to indict and convict 2
   years after the "crime" yup ppl went to fed prison for years ... seems
   the breech of the rule of law by the US has come more out of the
   shadows
   >Do you have a citation for those cases? I’m not doubting you, but the
   legal sophistry to argue that an ex post facto law was constitutional
   despite the explicit prohibition would be >interesting. I’ve heard of
   cases where higher penalties were applied than existed at the time
   (which IIRC is banned by the ECHR and possibly the CCPR, although is
   allowed in the USA >and elsewhere), or where statutes of limitations
   were extended, but a blatant ex post facto law seems surprising.
   Yes, I too haven't seen any ex post facto law; however, as I recall ex
   post facto prohibition only works on criminal cases, not civil.
   I saw an indication of a criminal case where the limitations period was
   illegally extended.
   [2]http://www.crimemagazine.com/firefighter-case-part-i      I met two
   of these convicts while in prison, and I am absolutely convinced that
   they were falsely convicted.  Worst, they were charged about 10 years
   after the crime, when the statute of limitations was about 5 years.
   There was no limitations period for crimes punishable by death, but the
   crime occurred during a time in which the Feds did not have a death
   penalty.  Thus, the appeals court simply and deliberately violated the
   law.
   [3]http://crimemagazine.com/analysis-8th-circuit-opinion-firefighters-c
   ase    (However, on a skim I don't see reference to the statute of
   limitations issue here.)
            Jim Bell

References

   1. mailto:carimachet@gmail.com
   2. http:///
   3. http:///