The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”:
Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

Kenneth R. Thomas
Legislative Attorney
September 22, 2009
Congressional Research Service
7-5700
www.crs.gov
R40826
CRS Report for Congress
P
repared for Members and Committees of Congress

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

Summary
On September 17, 2009, the House passed the “Defund ACORN Act” as part of H.R. 3221, 111th
Congress, the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. This act would limit certain
organizations from receiving any federal contracts or grants, if the organization has ever been
indicted for a violation of various campaign finance or election laws; has lost a state corporate
charter for failure to comply with lobbying disclosure requirements; or has filed a fraudulent form
with any federal or state regulatory agency. The limitations would also apply to any organization
that has an employment or agency relationship with an individual indicted for a violation of
election law. Once excluded, the organization would never be eligible to receive federal contracts
or grants again.
In addition, the bill specifically provides for the application of the above criteria jointly and
severally to the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) and any
ACORN-related affiliates. Similar language added as amendments to appropriations bills in the
Senate would directly ban ACORN and its subsidiaries from receiving federal grants or contracts.
The argument has been made that these proposals would violate the prohibition on bills of
attainder found in Article I, § 9, cl. 3 of the Constitution.
The two main criteria which the courts would likely look to in order to determine whether
legislation is a bill of attainder are (1) whether “specific” individuals or entities are affected by
the statute, and (2) whether the legislation inflicts a “punishment” on those individuals. Under the
instant bills, the fact that ACORN and its affiliates are named in the legislation for differential
treatment would appear to meet a per se criteria for specificity.
The U.S. Supreme Court has also identified three types of legislation which would fulfill the
“punishment” prong of the test: (1) where the burden is such as has “traditionally” been found to
be punitive; (2) where the type and severity of burdens imposed are the “functional equivalent” of
punishment because they cannot reasonably be said to further “non-punitive legislative
purposes”; and (3) where the legislative record evinces a “congressional intent to punish.” The
withholding of federal contracts or grants does not appear to be a “traditional” punishment, nor
does the legislative record so far appear to clearly evince an intent to punish. The question of
whether the instant legislation serves as the functional equivalent of a punishment, however, is
more difficult to ascertain.
While the regulatory purpose of ensuring that federal funds are properly spent is a legitimate one,
it is not clear that imposing a permanent government-wide ban on contracting with or providing
grants to ACORN fits that purpose, at least when the ban is applied to ACORN and its affiliates
jointly and severally. In theory, under the House bill, the behavior of a single employee from a
single affiliate could affect not only ACORN but all of its 361 affiliates. Thus, there may be
issues raised by characterizing this legislation as purely regulatory in nature. While the Supreme
Court has noted that the courts will generally defer to Congress as to the regulatory purpose of a
statute absent clear proof of punitive intent, there appear to be potential issues raised with
attempting to find a rational non-punitive regulatory purpose for this legislation. Thus, it appears
that a court may have a sufficient basis to overcome the presumption of constitutionality, and find
that it violates the prohibition against bills of attainder.

Congressional Research Service

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1
Bills of Attainder......................................................................................................................... 1
Background .......................................................................................................................... 1
Specificity............................................................................................................................. 2
Punishment ........................................................................................................................... 6
Traditional Punishments.................................................................................................. 6
“Functional” Punishment ................................................................................................ 6
Legislative History........................................................................................................ 10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................ 11

Contacts
Author Contact Information ...................................................................................................... 12

Congressional Research Service

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

Introduction
On September 17, 2009, the House passed the Defund ACORN Act as part of the Student Aid and
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2009. This act would provide limitations on certain organizations, so
that these organizations may not: be a party to any federal contract, grant, cooperative agreement,
or any other form of agreement (including a memorandum of understanding); receive federal
funds; and no federal employee or contractor may promote or recommend the organization in any
way.1 This disability would apply to any organization that has been indicted for a violation under
any federal or state law governing campaign financing or election administration; any
organization that had its state corporate charter terminated due to its failure to comply with
federal or state lobbying disclosure requirements; and any organization that has filed a fraudulent
form with any federal or state regulatory agency.2 The limitations would also apply to any
organization that either employs an individual who has been indicted for a violation under federal
or state law relating to an election for federal or state office; has such individual under contract;
or provides for such individual to act with the express or apparent authority of the organization.3
The bill also specifically addresses the application of the above limitations to the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) and any ACORN-related affiliates. The
language in question would provide that the term “organization” shall include the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now (“ACORN”) and any ACORN-related affiliates. By
providing that ACORN and its affiliates are an “organization,” the proposed bill would appear to
establish that the proposed bill would apply jointly and severally to ACORN and its affiliates. In
other words, a violation of one of the specified disqualifiers for federal contracts or grants in
ACORN or in one affiliate would result in the disqualification of ACORN and all its affiliates.
Similar language has been considered in the Senate.4
Bills of Attainder
Background
The question has been raised whether the implementation of the proposed Defund ACORN Act
would be an unconstitutional bill of attainder.5 The United States Constitution expressly prohibits
the federal government from enacting bills of attainder,6 and the Supreme Court has defined a bill
of attainder as a “law that legislatively determines guilt and inflicts punishment upon an

1 Defund ACORN Act, § 602(a) (amendment to H.R. 3221, 111th Congress, 1st Sess., the Student Aid and Fiscal
Responsibility Act of 2009).
2 Section 602(b)(1)-(3).
3 Section 602(b)(4); § 602 (c)(3)
4 An amendment directing that no monies authorized could be distributed to ACORN and its subsidiaries was approved
in the Senate as an amendment to the 2010 Appropriations bill for Department of Transportation, Department of
Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies, see 155 Cong. Rec. S9318 (daily ed. September 14, 2009)
(considering H.R. 3288), and the 2010 Appropriations bill for Department of the Interior, Environment and related
agencies, 155 Cong. Rec. S9542 (daily ed. September 17, 2009) (considering H.R. 2996). Although this report focuses
on the House-passed bill, much of the analysis would be applicable to these provisions.
5 This report does not address other possible constitutional issues which might be raised regarding this legislation.
6 U.S. Const art. I, § 9, cl. 3.provides “No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.”
Congressional Research Service
1

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

identifiable individual without provision of the protections of a judicial trial.”7 The basis for the
prohibition arises from the separation of powers concern that the enforcement of a bill of
attainder would allow Congress to usurp the power of the judicial branch.8
By passing a bill of attainder,
the legislature assumes judicial magistracy, pronouncing upon the guilt of the party without
any of the common forms and guards of trial, and satisfying itself with proofs, when such
proofs are within its reach, whether they are conformable to the rules of evidence, or not. In
short, in all such cases, the legislature exercises the highest power of sovereignty, and what
may be properly deemed an irresponsible despotic discretion, being governed solely by what
it deems political necessity or expediency, and too often under the influence of unreasonable
fears, or unfounded suspicions.9
At common law, a bill of attainder was a parliamentary act that sentenced a named individual or
identifiable member of a group to death.10 It was most often used to punish political activities that
Parliament or the sovereign found threatening or treasonous.11 A bill of pains and penalties was
identical to a bill of attainder, except that it prescribed a punishment short of death such as
banishment, deprivation of the right to vote, exclusion of the designated individual’s sons from
Parliament, or the punitive confiscation of property.12 The prohibition on bills of pains and
penalties has been subsumed into the prohibitions of the Bill of Attainder Clause, so that a variety
of penalties less severe than death may trigger its provisions.13
The two main criteria which the courts look to in order to determine whether legislation is a bill
of attainder are (1) whether specific individuals are affected by the statute (specificity prong), and
(2) whether the legislation inflicts a punishment on those individuals (punishment prong).
Specificity
The Supreme Court has held that legislation meets the criteria of specificity if it either
specifically identifies a person, a group of people, or readily ascertainable members of a group,14
or identifies such a person or group by past conduct.15 It has been suggested that a court’s
determination that a statute referencing a specific group of persons is based on past conduct may

7 United States v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 468 (1965).
8 “The best available evidence, the writings of the architects of our constitutional system, indicates that the Bill of
Attainder Clause was intended not as a narrow, technical (and therefore soon to be outmoded) prohibition, but rather as
an implementation of the separation of powers, a general safeguard against legislative exercise of the judicial function,
or more simply, trial by legislature.” Brown, 381 U.S. at 443.
9 3 J. Story, Commentaries on the Constitution of the United States 1338 (1833).
10 Nixon v. Administrator of Gen. Serv., 433 U.S. 425, 473 (1977).
11 Jane Welsh, The Bill of Attainder Clause: An Unqualified Guarantee of Due Process, 50 Brook L. Rev. 77, 81
(1983).
12 Brown, 381 U.S. at 441-42.
13 See, e.g., Fletcher v. Peck, 10 U.S. (6 Cranch) 87, 138 (1810) (“[a] bill of attainder may affect the life of an
individual, or may confiscate his property, or may do both”).
14 United States v. Lovett, 328 U.S. 303, 315 (1946); Cummings v. Missouri, 71 U.S. (4 Wall.) 277, 323 (1866).
15 Selective Serv. Sys. v. Minnesota Pub. Interest Research Group., 468 U.S. 841, 851 (1984). Although the law
appears unsettled, it appears likely that corporations are also protected against bills of attainder. See Consol. Edison Co.
of N.Y., Inc. v. Pataki, 292 F.3d 338 (2nd Cir. 2002).
Congressional Research Service
2

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

in some cases be treated as a per se violation of the specificity prong.16 For instance, in the case
of United States v. Lovett,17 Congress passed Section 304 of the Urgent Deficiency Appropriation
Act of 1943, which named three government employees, labeled them as subversive, and then
provided that no salary should be paid to them.18 The employees brought suit, and the Supreme
Court ruled in their favor, holding that Section 304 was a punishment of named individuals
without a judicial trial.19
As will be discussed later, it is a defense to a bill of attainder challenge to establish that a statute
is not intended to punish, but rather to implement a legitimate regulatory scheme. Although this
analysis is generally considered under the second prong of the test (whether the law is punitive),
it may have implications for the specificity prong. For instance, in the case of Nixon v.
Administrator of General Service
,20 the Court evaluated the Presidential Recordings and
Materials Preservation Act,21 which required that former President Richard Nixon, whose papers
and tape recording were specifically named in the act,22 turn those papers and tape recordings
over to an official of the Executive Branch. The former President challenged the constitutionality
of the act as a bill of attainder, arguing that it was based on a congressional determination of the
former President’s blameworthiness and represented a desire to punish him.
It would appear that the identification of papers and recordings under the control of a named
person (the former President) would meet the per se requirement. The Court in Nixon, however,
found that statute was constitutional despite this specificity. In Nixon, the Court found that the bill
failed the second prong (punishment) of the test for bill of attainder, since the act fulfilled the
valid regulatory purpose of preserving information which was needed to prosecute Watergate-
related crimes and was of historical interest.23 As part of this analysis, however, the Court even
questioned whether the statute in question met the specificity prong of the two-part test, finding
that naming an individual could be “fairly and rationally understood” as designating a “legitimate

16 See Case Note, Fifth Circuit Holds That the Special Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Are Not a
Bill of Attainder. - SBC Communications, Inc. v. FCC, 154 F.3d 226 (5th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 119 S. Ct. 889
(1999), 112 Harv. L. Rev. 1385, 1388 (1999). See, e.g., United States v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 438-39 n.1 (1965)
(striking down statute that made it a crime for anyone “who is or has been a member of the Communist Party” to serve
as an officer or employee of a labor union); United States v. Lovett, 328 U.S. 303, 305 n.5 (1946) (striking down a
statute prohibiting payment of government salaries to alleged Communists “Goodwin B. Watson, William E. Dodd,
Junior, and Robert Morss Lovett”).
17 328 U.S. 303 (1946).
18 Id. at 304-05, 311-12.
19 Id. at 315.
20 433 U.S. 425 (1977).
21 P.L. 93-526.
22 Section 101(a) of Title I of the Presidential Recordings and Materials Preservation Act directs that the Administrator
of General Services
shall receive, obtain, or retain, complete possession and control of all original tape recordings of
conversations which were recorded or caused to be recorded by any officer or employee of the
Federal Government and which - (1) involve former President Richard M. Nixon or other
individuals who, at the time of the conversation, were employed by the Federal Government; (2)
were recorded in the White House or in the office of the President in the Executive Office
Buildings located in Washington, District of Columbia; Camp David, Maryland; Key Biscayne,
Florida; or San Clemente, California; and (3) were recorded during the period beginning January
20, 1969, and ending August 9, 1974.
23 Nixon, 433 U.S. at 476-77.
Congressional Research Service
3

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

class of one.”24 Thus, it has been suggested that Nixon stands for the proposition that any level of
specificity is acceptable, even the naming of individuals, as long as a rational, non-punitive basis
for the legislation can be established.25
As noted, the Defund ACORN Act would limit particular entities from entering into agreements
with, receive federal funds from, or be promoted by the federal government. This disability would
apply to a potentially broad array of organizations that have either been indicted for violation of
specific laws, had a charter revoked for failing to comply with certain disclosure requirements, or
that has filed a fraudulent document to a government agency. Although the legislation does not
specify, it would appear that such limitations would apply both to organizations that have engaged
in such behaviors in the past, and organizations that engage in such behavior in the future.
There does not appear to be a significant argument that these general provisions of the Defund
ACORN Act would meet the element of specificity required for establishing that legislation is a
bill of attainder. While the legislation would affect an ascertainable group of entities based on
past behaviors, it would also appear to apply to entities that met the specified criteria in the
future. Further, a court would most likely be able to discern a rational, non-punitive purpose for
the application of these criteria: a desire to prevent federal funds being used for activities that
violate federal or state law. While the application of this disability to entities that have been
indicted (but perhaps not been convicted) under certain laws would appear to be an uneasy fit,
courts are likely to grant Congress significant deference in identifying the parameters of groups
eligible for contracting with, receiving federal funds from, being promoted by the federal
government.
A different question arises, however, as to those portions of the bill that specifically name
ACORN, and then provide a different set of rules to that organization. Unlike other organizations
that would be covered by these provisions, the ACORN organization is defined to include both
ACORN and all ACORN-related affiliates. Thus it would appear that, unlike other organizations
identified under this act, ACORN and it affiliates would each be held “jointly and severally
liable” for the behavior ACORN, any one of its affiliates, and all employees thereof. In other
words, if ACORN or one of its affiliates were to come under the limitations of the proposed act,
then ACORN and all its affiliates would be similarly affected.
On its face, the naming of ACORN and its affiliates under the proposed act would appear to
support a per se finding of the required element of specificity.26 The Supreme Court, however, has
noted that cases regarding bills of attainder cannot be analyzed in the abstract, as each “turns on
its own highly particularized context.”27 Thus, the application of the proposed bill jointly and
severally to ACORN and its affiliates would appear to require a close examination of the
legislation and its particular application to ACORN. For instance, the question can be asked
whether the apparent specificity of the proposal can be justified by some regulatory purpose.

24 433 U.S. at 472.
25 See Case Note, Fifth Circuit Holds That the Special Provisions of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 Are Not a Bill
of Attainder. - SBC Communications, Inc. v. FCC, 154 F.3d 226 (5th Cir. 1998), cert. denied, 119 S. Ct. 889 (1999)
,
112 Harv. L. Rev. 1385, 1388 (1999).
26 It appears to be relatively unusual for the Congress to identify individuals or entities for detrimental treatment. But
see
Arjay Assocs., Inc. v. Bush, 891 F.2d 894 (Fed. Cir. 1989) (denying standing to importers to challenge an import
ban on products from Toshiba Machine Corporation and Konigsberg Corporation, imposed after those entities diverted
military technology to the Soviet Union).
27 Flemming v. Nestor, 363 U.S. 603, 616 (1959).
Congressional Research Service
4

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

As noted, the proposed act, on its face, applies both retrospectively and prospectively, so that in
theory, the proposed legislation could be applied to ACORN and its affiliates based on future
behavior. It does not appear to be fatal to a bill of attainder challenge, however, that the statute in
question applies to both past and future behavior. In one of the relatively few cases in which a
successful bill of attainder challenge was made, the Court in United States v. Brown invalidated
Section 504 of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, which made it a crime for
anyone “who is or has been a member of the Communist Party to serve as an officer or employee
of a labor union ... during or for five years after the termination of his membership in the
Communist Party....”28
In Brown, the Court did not find it significant that future members of the Communist Party would
be included in the group affected. Rather, the Court focused on the fact that once a person had
entered the Communist Party, his or her withdrawal did not relieve the disability for five years.29
So, the requirement of specificity is not defeated by the potential of future persons being added to
the identified group, as long as the persons or entities identified cannot withdraw from such
specified group.30 Thus, in the instant case, to the extent that ACORN and one of its affiliates
could fall under these provisions based on future behavior, the fact that the law could be applied
based on past behavior, and that ACORN and its affiliates cannot meaningfully withdraw31 would
appear to meet a per se criteria for specificity.
However, a per se finding of specificity can still fail to meet the first prong if the group specified
by the statute can be justified by the nature of the regulatory purpose. This would require an
analysis of the nexus between this specificity and the regulatory purposes served by the proposed
law. In this regard, a court might consider legislative purposes that might be articulated in the
legislative history of the proposals in question.
The legislative record regarding this proposed act does appear to indicate that the Congress
identified ACORN and its affiliates as being likely to fall under its various provisions. There does
not appear to be an indication, however, of why, within the large group of entities that might be
subject to the proposed act, only ACORN and its affiliates will be subject to special rules
regarding joint and several application.
Although one might speculate that ACORN and its affiliates represent a special class of
organizational entities that cannot be treated as other organizations, it is not clear on what factual
basis such a distinction has been made by the Congress. Further, since any number of other
organizations with affiliates could fall under the proposed act, it would be difficult to establish
why ACORN and its affiliates are deserving of differential treatment. Consequently, it would
appear likely that a court would find that the instant proposal met the requirement element of
specificity.

28 See Brown, 381 U.S. at 438-39 n.1.
29 381 U.S. at 458.
30 See also Selective Service System v. Minn. Pub. Interest Research Group, 468 U.S. 841, 851 (1984) (affected class
must be defined by past conduct that makes their ineligibility for a particular benefit “irreversible.”)
31 Although ACORN and its entities might, in theory, disband their corporate structures and reconstitute as new and
separate entities, this would not diminish the affect of the bill of attainder on the corporate entities when they existed.
In other words, although it is an unsettled area of law, it would appear that the corporate entity itself has the right to not
be subjected to a bill of attainder. See Consol. Edison Co. of N.Y., Inc. v. Pataki, 292 F.3d 338 (2nd Cir. 2002).
Congressional Research Service
5

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

Punishment
The mere fact that focused legislation imposes burdensome consequences does not require that a
court find such legislation to be an unconstitutional bill of attainder. Rather, the Court has
identified three types of “punitive” legislation that are barred by the ban on bills of attainder: (1)
where the burden is such as has traditionally been found to be punitive; (2) where the type and
severity of burdens imposed cannot reasonably be said to further non-punitive legislative
purposes; and (3) where the legislative record evinces a congressional intent to punish. Thus, the
question can be considered as to whether the legislation at issue would fit into one of these three
categories.
Traditional Punishments
The Supreme Court has identified various types of punishments which have historically been
associated with bills of attainder. These traditionally have included capital punishment,
imprisonment, fines, banishment, confiscation of property, and more recently, the barring of
individuals or groups from participation in specified employment or vocations.32 There do not
appear to be any cases where the Court has found that denial of federal benefits to organizations
is the type of “punishment” traditionally engaged in by legislatures as a means of punishing
individuals for wrongdoing.
“Functional” Punishment
The Supreme Court has also indicated that some legislative burdens not traditionally associated
with bills of attainder might nevertheless “functionally” serve as punishment.33 The Court has
indicated however, that in those cases, the type and severity of the legislatively imposed burden
would need to be examined to see whether it could reasonably be said to further a non-punitive
legislative purpose.34
It is clear that a denial of the ability to engage financially with the United States can fulfill the
punishment prong of the test. The Court has specified that “legislative acts, no matter what their
form, that apply either to named individuals or to easily ascertainable members of a group in such
a way as to inflict punishment on them without a judicial trial are bills of attainder prohibited by
the Constitution.”35 For instance, in United States v. Lovett, the Court struck down a statute
prohibiting individuals from being employed by the United States as a bill of attainder.36
In Lovett, the respondents, Robert Lovett, Goodwin Watson and William Dodd, Jr. were federal
government employees in good standing. Congress, however, passed a statute naming those
individuals and providing that no federal salary or compensation could be paid to them unless

32 433 U.S. at 474-75.
33 433 U.S. at 475.
34 Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez, 372 U.S. 144, 168-69 (1963); Nixon v. Administrator of General Services, 433 U.S.
at 476. But see Flemming v. Nestor, 363 U.S. 603, 614 (1959) (upholding termination of Social Security benefits to
persons deported for events occurring before the passage of the legislation terminating benefits).
35 United States v. Lovett, 328 U.S. 303, 315 (1946). Steven J. Eagle, Property Tests, Due Process Tests and
Regulatory Takings Jurisprudence
, 2007 B.Y.U.L. Rev. 899, 930-31 (2007).
36 328 U.S. 303 (1946),
Congressional Research Service
6

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

they were reappointed to their jobs by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
The statute was passed as a result of concerns in the House Committee on Un-American
Activities that “subversives” were occupying influential positions in the Government and
elsewhere, and that Congress had the responsibility to identify and remove those individuals.37
The Court noted that the character of the legislation was informed by both the particulars of the
legislation and the context in which it arose. In this case, the Court found that the statute operated
to bar the named individuals not only from their current jobs, but also from employment by any
branch of the federal government for perpetuity.38 The Court also noted that the congressional
proceedings relevant to the legislation had the elements of judicial process. For instance, the
Chairman of the House Committee on Un-American Activities, Congressman Dies, told the
House that the three named individuals, among others, were unfit to “hold a Government
position,” and other statements made during the debate included discussion of “charges” against
the individuals and of having sufficient proof of “guilt.”39
A special counsel for the House noted that the legislation in question was within the discretion of
Congress’ power under the Spending Clause.40 However, the Court in Lovett noted that other
Supreme Court decisions have invalidated legislation barring specified persons or groups from
pursuing various professions where the employment bans were imposed as a brand of disloyalty.41
For instance, the Court has found that a ban on lawyers practicing before the Supreme Court42
was punishment for purposes of bill of attainder analysis, as was a ban on persons holding
positions of trust related to legal proceedings.43 Consequently, the Court in Lovett held that the
denial of the contractual right to federal employment fell squarely into the type of punishment
susceptible to bill of attainder analysis.44
Thus, the question in the instant case is whether applying the provisions of the proposed act
jointly and severally only to ACORN and its affiliates is a kind of limitation that could be
interpreted as punishment. One could argue that the imposition of an expansive prohibition on
contracting with the federal government only to the named entities would appear analogous to the
ban on federal employment found in the Lovett case. As with Lovett, the legislation has potential
to exclude ACORN or its affiliates from ever contracting with the federal government. While
Congress clearly has the discretion to designate how federal funds are allocated, a ban on
ACORN or its affiliates applying for any government contracts or benefits, regardless of context,

37 328 U.S. at 308.
38 328 U.S. at 313-14.
39 328 U.S. at 309-10. (citations omitted).
40 Article I, § 8., Clause 1 provides that Congress has the power to “To lay and collect Taxes ... to pay the Debts and
provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.”
41 Nixon v. Adm’r of Gen. Servs., 433 U.S. 425, 474-75 (1977) (citing cases).
42 See Ex parte Garland, 4 Wall. 333 (1867) (Act of Congress which required attorneys practicing before this Court to
take a oath indicating that they had never “been a member of, or connected with, any order, society, or organization,
inimical to the government of the United States ...” held a bill of attainder.)
43 See Cummings v. State of Missouri, 71 U.S. 277, 320 (1867) (“disqualification from the pursuits of a lawful
avocation, or from positions of trust, or from the privilege of appearing in the courts, or acting as an executor,
administrator, or guardian, may also, and often has been, imposed as punishment.”) See also Foretich v. United States,
351 F.3d 1198 (2003) (legislation limiting custodial rights was a bill of attainder).
44 328 U.S. at 315-16 (“The fact that the punishment is inflicted through the instrumentality of an Act specifically
cutting off the pay of certain named individuals found guilty of disloyalty, makes it no less galling or effective than if it
had been done by an Act which designated the conduct as criminal.”).
Congressional Research Service
7

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

appears to be similar to the limitation imposed in Lovett where the named individuals were
deemed ineligible for any government employment.
The question does arise, however, whether the burden imposed by the legislation is susceptible to
explanation by a valid regulatory (non-punitive) purpose. In such a case, a court would be likely
to find that such legislation is not intended to be punitive. For instance, in Flemming v. Nestor,45
the Court upheld termination of Social Security benefits to persons deported for events occurring
before the passage of the legislation terminating benefits, reasoning that Congress was within its
authority to find that the purposes of Social Security were not served by providing benefits to
persons living overseas. In reaching this conclusion, the Court noted that
[O]nly the clearest proof could suffice to establish the unconstitutionality of a statute on [bill
of attainder grounds]. Judicial inquiries into Congressional motives are at best a hazardous
matter, and when that inquiry seeks to go behind objective manifestations it becomes a
dubious affair indeed. Moreover, the presumption of constitutionality with which this
enactment, like any other, comes to us forbids us lightly to choose that reading of the
statute’s setting which will invalidate it over that which will save it. ‘It is not on slight
implication and vague conjecture that the legislature is to be pronounced to have transcended
its powers, and its acts to be considered as void.’ Fletcher v. Peck, 6 Cranch 87, 128.46
However, it should be noted that the legislation in question in Flemming was but a small part of a
larger regulatory scheme—the Social Security program—making any punitive intent less
apparent.47 Thus the question arises as to whether the scope of the instant legislation, which is
titled the “Defund ACORN Act,” fits into current regulations regarding government grants and
contracts.
For this, one would need to look at what legislative purposes are generally accorded to barring
individuals or corporations from access to federal benefits or contracts. Currently, extensive
government regulation exists establishing who is eligible to receive federal grants or benefits. If
there is an adequate relationship between the restriction imposed by the instant legislation and the
presumably legitimate, non-punitive governmental purpose of assuring proper awarding and
expenditures of federal funds, then the legislation would be likely to be found constitutional.48
For instance, the Code of Federal Regulations contains extensive regulations regarding
government-wide debarment and suspensions of eligibility for government grants.49 Under these
guidelines, an agency may, in the public interest, suspend a participant in a program or activity
based on a variety of bases, including the existence of an indictment, conviction, civil judgment,
or other official findings by federal, state, or local bodies against the participant. Although an
agency has significant discretion in making this decision, it is required to consider a variety of
particularized criteria to make its determination.50

45 363 U.S. 603, 614 (1959).
46 363 U.S. at 618.
47 363 U.S. at 618.
48 See BellSouth II, 162 F.3d 678, 688 (1998) (upholding a statute which required local operating companies to open
their local telephone markets to competition to avoid the creation of monopolies); Dehainaut v. Pena, 32 F.3d 1066,
1072 (7th Cir. 1994) (upholding indefinite disbarment of former air traffic controllers from reemployment with the
Federal Aviation Administration).
49 2 C.F.R. Ch. 1, Part 180 (dealing with nonprocurement programs or activities).
50 2 C.F.R. § 180.705.
Congressional Research Service
8

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

There are also extensive regulations for the debarment of federal contractors from contracting
with the government.51 As a matter of policy, the federal government seeks to “prevent improper
dissipation of public funds”52 in its contracting activities by dealing only with responsible
contractors.53 Debarment and suspension promote this policy by precluding agencies from
entering into new contractual dealings with contractors whose prior violations of federal or state
law, or failure to perform under contract, suggest they are nonresponsible.54 Because exclusions
under the Federal Acquisition Regulations are designed to protect the government’s interests, they
may not be imposed solely to punish prior contractor misconduct.55
Debarments last for a “period commensurate with the seriousness of the cause(s),” generally not
exceeding three years.56 Debarment-worthy conduct can be imputed from officers, directors,
shareholders, partners, employees, or other individuals associated with a contractor to the
contractor, and vice versa, as well as between contractors participating in joint ventures or similar
arrangements.57 Due process requires that contractors receive written notice of proposed
debarments and of debarring officials’ decisions, as well as the opportunity to present evidence
within the decision-making process for all debarments except those based upon contractors'
convictions.58
Thus, it appears that there are already significant existing regulations regarding whether specified
entities can be excluded from government programs or activities. Further, suspending
organizations based on past criminal behavior would appear to need to fit within the regulatory
purpose of the scheme that is already in existence. Although the automatic exclusion of entities
from federal contracts or grants based only on indictments of specified laws by the entities or
their employees or agencies may not fit comfortably within the existing scheme, it would seem
that such a regulation would share a similar rational non-punitive regulatory purpose of ensuring
that federal benefits and contracts be administered properly.
The specifics of the instant legislation, however, appear to differ substantially from the regulatory
goals of the existing regime. For instance, it is not clear why violation of campaign financing,
election laws, or disclosure requirements would be seen as meeting the goals of preventing

51 See generally CRS Report RL34753, Debarment and Suspension of Government Contractors: An Overview of the
Law Including Recently Enacted and Proposed Amendments
, by Kate M. Manuel.
52 United States v. Bizzell, 921 F.2d 263, 267 (10th Cir. 1990) (“It is the clear intent of debarment to purge government
programs of corrupt influences and to prevent improper dissipation of public funds. Removal of persons whose
participation in those programs is detrimental to public purposes is remedial by definition.”) (internal citations
omitted).
53 48 C.F.R. § 9.402(a) (directing agency contracting officers to “solicit offers from, award contracts to, and consent to
subcontracts with responsible contractors only”).
54 See id. (“Debarment and suspension are discretionary actions that ... are appropriate means to effectuate [the] policy
[of dealing only with responsible contractors].”).
55 48 C.F.R. § 9.402(b) (“The serious nature of debarment and suspension requires that these sanctions be imposed only
in the public interest for the Government's protection and not for purposes of punishment.”).
56 48 C.F.R. § 9.406-4(a)(1). Debarments are limited to one year for violations of the Immigration and Nationality Act,
but can last up to five years for violations of the Drug-Free Workplace Act. 48 C.F.R. § 9.406-4(a)(1)(i)-(ii). The FAR
allows debarring officials to extend the debarment for an additional period if they determine that an extension is
necessary to protect the government's interests. 48 C.F.R. § 9.406-4(b). Extension cannot be based solely upon the facts
and circumstances upon which the initial debarment was based, however. Id.
57 48 C.F.R. § 9.406-5(a)-(c).
58 48 C.F.R. § 9.406-3. When debarment is based on a conviction, the hearing that the contractor received prior to the
conviction suffices for due process in the debarment proceeding.
Congressional Research Service
9

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

improper dissipation of public funds, when far more serious criminal violations are not addressed
by the legislation. Further, it is not clear why these particular legal violations would result in
permanent debarment of the organization. While current regulations may limit organizations to
relatively short debarments, generally no more than three years, the instant proposal has no
mechanism for these organizations to be relieved of their disability.
Of even more concern, is that this permanent debarment would be imposed jointly and severally
on ACORN and its affiliates. It would appear that investigating affiliates in order to determine
whether they had colluded in illegal behavior might be an appropriate procedure for an agency to
engage in. For an agency to make a per se assumption that all entities affiliated with a
disqualified entity should also be disqualified, however, is not consistent with the goals of the
current regulations, which require that such matters be considered individually. Since affiliations
with other entities are often voluntary, and may represent a relationship with little or no
coordination, current law would not allow such a per se exclusion.
The further step of finding that just one organization and its affiliates would be subject to such
limitations jointly and severally seems even further from the existing regulatory scheme. It should
be noted that there are 361 ACORN affiliates in 120 cities, 43 states and the District of
Columbia.59 Under existing regulations, an agency seeking to evaluate disqualification of these
affiliates would most likely need to evaluate them separately. It is not clear on what basis the
Congress dispensed with such distinctions, and why the Congress found it necessary to provide
that, if even one employee from one ACORN affiliated organization were to commit one of the
specified offenses, that ACORN and the rest of its affiliates would lose access to government
grants or contracts. While there have been allegations of wrongdoing by ACORN and some of its
affiliates, it does not appear that such allegations have been made against all ACORN-related
affiliates.60
In general, the permanent exclusion of all of these organizations would be difficult to justify as
regulatory in nature. While the Court has noted that the courts will generally defer to Congress as
to the regulatory purpose of a statute absent clear proof of punitive intent, there appear to be
problems with finding a rational non-punitive regulatory purpose for this legislation. Thus, it
appears that a court would have a sufficient basis to overcome the presumption of
constitutionality, and find that it violates the prohibition against bills of attainder.
Legislative History
The process for the passage of this bill has not been completed, so it is difficult to tell what
legislative history a court would have to draw on to evaluate legislative intent. Existing legislative
history, however, can be evaluated to determine whether it is consistent with a legitimate
regulatory purpose. As noted, it would appear that, to the extent that a regulatory purpose exists, it
would be that Congress wished to ensure that federal benefits and contracts be administered
properly by organizations that receive federal funds.
It would appear, however, that there was little discussion of the specific provision of the bill
during its adoption. The Defund ACORN Act was primarily debated under a motion to recommit,

59 See Staff Report, “Is ACORN Intentionally Structured as a Criminal Enterprise?,” Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform at 3 (111th Cong., July 23, 2009).
60 See generally id.
Congressional Research Service
10

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

and there seems to have been little evaluation of the provisions of the act. Specifically, no
indication was given why ACORN and its affiliates, unlike other organizations subject to the
proposed act, would have the act applied to them jointly and severally. No explanation was given
as to whether there were other organizations with other affiliation structures, and why those
entities would not be subject to this per se rule. Thus, it is difficult to evaluate the strength of the
regulatory purpose arguments for this particular provision from the existing legislative history.
There are significant indications that some Members of Congress are concerned that ACORN and
its affiliates have engaged in criminal behavior and that they receive federal funds.61 Remarks
made specific to this proposed legislation also seem to indicate a concern regarding the past
behaviors of ACORN and its affiliates. 62 These remarks appear to express both moral and
regulatory objections to these entities receiving federal funds, and could certainly be read as
indicating that Congress had made certain factual evaluations regarding alleged past behaviors of
ACORN. Punitive intent, however, does not appear to be clearly expressed on the face of the
existing legislative history.
Conclusion
As noted, the two main criteria which the courts will look to in order to determine whether
legislation is a bill of attainder are (1) whether “specific” individuals or entities are affected by
the statute, and (2) whether the legislation inflicts a “punishment” on those individuals. The
“specificity” prong of this text can be met by a finding that legislation identifies persons based on
their past conduct. Further, the requirement of specificity is not necessarily defeated by the
potential of future persons being added to the identified group, as long as the persons or entities
identified cannot withdraw from such specified group. Thus, under the instant bill, the fact that
ACORN and its affiliates are named and can be included in the legislation based on past behavior
would appear to meet a per se criteria for specificity.
The Court has also identified three types of legislation which would fulfill the “punishment”
prong of the test: (1) where the burden is such as has “traditionally” been found to be punitive; (2)
where the type and severity of burdens imposed are the “functional equivalent” of punishment

61 See Staff Report, “Is ACORN Intentionally Structured as a Criminal Enterprise?,” Committee on Oversight and
Government Reform at 3 (111th Cong., July 23, 2009)
62 155 Cong. Rec. H9675 (daily ed. September 17, 2009) (statement of Representative Issa). Congressman Issa, who
sponsored the proposed language as an amendment to the appropriations bill, stated that
ACORN has been linked to multiple instances of voter registration fraud and other illicit activity. In
recent days, media accounts have detailed ACORN employees’ alleged complicity in illegal
schemes too unseemly to discuss in this chamber. To continue funding this organization would not
just be indefensible-it would be an outrage.
An analysis of federal data shows that ACORN has received more than $53 million in direct
funding from the Federal Government since 1994, and has likely received substantially more
indirectly through States and localities that receive Federal block grants.
The Census Bureau recently decided to sever all ties with ACORN to ensure the integrity of their
operations. This was the right decision. Unfortunately, ACORN’s links to the Federal Government
do not stop with the Census Bureau. This organization has infiltrated a host of federal programs,
consuming taxpayer dollars even as it has repeatedly been found to engage in criminal activity.
To fully protect taxpayers, we must enact a comprehensive ban on Federal funding for this corrupt
and criminal organization. This motion to recommit will do exactly that.
Congressional Research Service
11

The Proposed “Defund ACORN Act”: Is It a “Bill of Attainder”?

because they cannot reasonably be said to further “non-punitive legislative purposes”; and (3)
where the legislative record evinces a “congressional intent to punish.” The withholding of
federal contracts or grants does not appear to be a “traditional” punishment, nor does the
legislative record at this point clearly evince an intent to punish. The question of whether the
instant legislation serves as the functional equivalent of a punishment, however, is more difficult
to ascertain.
The specifics of the instant legislation appear to differ substantially from the regulatory goals of
the existing legal regime regarding federal contracting and federal grants. Unlike the existing
regime, this legislation focuses on relatively minor legal violations such as campaign financing,
election laws, or disclosure requirements. Further, while current regulations may limit
organizations to relatively short debarments, generally no more than three years, the instant
proposal has no mechanism for these organizations to be relieved of their disability. In addition,
this permanent exclusion would be imposed jointly and severally on ACORN and its affiliates,
essentially establishing a per se rule that all affiliates and ACORN would be held responsible for
the behavior of any other affiliates or ACORN, or an employee thereof.
In general, absent an agency proceeding to determine that ACORN and every one of its affiliates
have engaged in unlawful behavior, the permanent exclusion of all of these organizations would
be difficult to justify as regulatory in nature. While the Supreme Court has noted that courts will
generally defer to Congress as to the regulatory purpose of a statute absent clear proof of punitive
intent, there appear to be several potential problems raised by attempts to find a rational non-
punitive regulatory purpose for this legislation. Thus, it appears that a court may have a sufficient
basis to overcome the presumption of constitutionality, and find that the proposed Defund
ACORN Act violates the prohibition against bills of attainder.

Author Contact Information

Kenneth R. Thomas

Legislative Attorney
kthomas@crs.loc.gov, 7-5006




Congressional Research Service
12