Adams, Charles-5-Jan

Municipal law denotes the law of a body politic, but by the English Lawyers is defined to be a "rule of civil conduct prescribed by the Supreme power in a state, commanding what is right and prohibiting what is wrong." 1 Blacks C. 44. It is uniform and universal as far as it extends. It differs from natural law for the latter considers men in their individual capacity. It must be prescribed. A retroactive law is not always an ex post facto law. An ex post facto law is a retro-active penal law. Ex post facto laws respect offences civilly.