Opinion ID: 1919820
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Louisiana Ex Post Facto Clause

Text: Petitioners and amici also contend Art. 930.8 violates La. Const. art I, § 23 which prohibits the enactment of any ex post facto law. We disagree. Current Louisiana cases address this issue by determining whether a law passed after the commission of an offense which in relation to that offense or its punishment alters the situation of a party to his disadvantage. To qualify as an ex post facto law under this inquiry, the suspect legislation: (1) must be passed after the date of the offense, (2) must relate to the offense or its punishment, and (3) must alter the situation of the accused to his disadvantage. See, e.g., Police Ass'n of New Orleans v. New Orleans, 94-1708 p. 21-22 (La. 1/17/95), 649 So.2d 951, 966 (Under La.Const. art. I., § 23, [a]n ex post facto law is one passed after the commission of an offense which in relation to that offense or its consequences alters the situation of a party to its disadvantage.); State ex rel. Turner v. Maggio, 463 So.2d 1304, 1307 (La.1985) (Ex post facto changes in the substance of a criminal penalty cannot work to the disadvantage of the accused.); State ex rel. Bickman v. Dees, 367 So.2d 283, 291 (La.1978) (Any law passed after the commission of an offense which ... alters the situation of a party to his disadvantage is an ex post facto law.) (quoting Calder v. Bull, supra ); State v. Sepulvado, 342 So.2d 630, 635 (La.1977) (An ex post facto law ... is one which is passed after the ... commission of an act, which retroactively changes the legal consequences of such fact.); State v. Ferrie, 243 La. 416, 144 So.2d 380, 382 (1962) (An ex post facto law [is] one enacted after the offense has been committed and which in relation to it or its consequences alters the situation of the accused to his disadvantage.); State v. Caldwell, 50 La. Ann. 666, 670, 23 So. 869 (1898). Article 930.8 is not an ex post facto law under this formulation because it does not relate to an offense or its punishment. As previously stated, Art. 930.8 does not, in any way, change the essential elements of any conduct described as criminal in this state's criminal code. Therefore, it does not relate to an offense. Because Art. 930.8 does not satisfy these elements, it is not an ex post facto law as that term is currently understood in the jurisprudence of this state. [15]