Children Of The ACORN

The federal judge at the heart of the funding matter for ACORN has made permanent the injunction against Congress that prevents them from specifically defunding the voter organization based on...Andrew Breitbart's bad press.

U.S. District Judge Nina Gershon cemented her earlier decision in December and made the injunction against government intervention permanent, asking all federal agencies to spread the word that money to ACORN be allowed without delay.

The judge wrote that it was "unmistakable that Congress determined ACORN's guilt before defunding it." Congress may investigate ACORN but cannot "rely on the negative results of a congressional or executive report as a rationale to impose a broad, punitive funding ban on a specific, named organization."

The Center for Constitutional Rights had charged Congress in last year's case of violating the group's constitutional protections.

"This is why the Constitution contains a prohibition against Congress enacting a bill of attainder – to prevent Congress from acting as judge jury and executioner," said Jules Lobel, a cooperating attorney with the center.

The evidence against ACORN was dismissed out of hand but the damage to ACORN has already been done.  Still, it's good to see somebody's still interested in actual law and order.  Just because you don't like what ACORN does, doesn't mean you can simply slap a bill of attainder on it.