Bill Of Attainder Means Singling Out
This trap appears as a wrong-answer choice in 1 active question. Spotting how it is built is the repair: read each example's “why it's attractive” before the “why it's wrong.”
Subject distribution
- Constitutional Law1
Example wrong choices
19177_manna_wagon_disposal · CONSTITUTIONAL_LAW · Choice Ainvalid as a bill of attainder.
Why it's attractive
A student sees Congress favoring one company and reaches for a severe constitutional label. The breaker is that bill-of-attainder analysis needs punishment, and the stem gives a sale.
Why it's wrong
The answer invokes a punishment doctrine, but the stem gives a sale/benefit and no punishment fact.
Spot it next time
Ask: what was imposed on the alleged target, a burden or a benefit?
19177_manna_wagon_disposal · CONSTITUTIONAL_LAW · Choice Cinvalid as a denial of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment.
Why it's attractive
A student sees unequal treatment between competitors and reaches for equal protection. The breaker is that this answer names the Fourteenth Amendment even though the actor is Congress.
Why it's wrong
The answer names a state-action source while the actor in the stem is Congress.
Spot it next time
Ask: is the answer's amendment aimed at this actor?
19177_manna_wagon_disposal · CONSTITUTIONAL_LAW · Choice Dvalid under the general police powers of Congress.
Why it's attractive
A student likes the valid result and accepts the broad power label. The breaker is that Congress has no general police power, so the source must be a specific enumerated power.
Why it's wrong
The answer gives the right result but relies on a nonexistent general federal police power.
Spot it next time
Replace generic power labels with the specific enumerated power that matches the facts.
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