The Congress shall have Power to declare the Punishment of Treason, but no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood, or Forfeiture except during the Life of the Person attainted.

The Framers forbade bills of attainder as part of their strategy of undoing the English law of treason, and to contend with what they regarded as the most serious historical instances of ...

This was deemed by many, and by the President, as going beyond the warrantor the Constitution, which declares that "No attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood or forfeiture ...