[SampleMan]

A designation is part of a statute, which is a law. Ex Post Facto covers changes in a law as well as new legislation. When you change a law, it effectively becomes a new law.

So it is illegal to call Negroes "African-American" unless they were born after that "designation" was added to the law? Ex post facto applies to making something criminal (punishable) and applying it to actions which occurred before the law as passed. Unless there is punishment, there can be no ex post facto.

[William Terrell]

So it is illegal to call Negroes "African-American" unless they were born after that "designation" was added to the law? Ex post facto applies to making something criminal (punishable) and applying it to actions which occurred before the law as passed. Unless there is punishment, there can be no ex post facto.

I don't understand your first sentence.

Yes. Any law implies punishment if you don't follow the law, else it is useless.

If you ran a stop sign, and were convicted with a $100 fine, and next week the statute were changed to levy a $200 fine, would you have objection to the state billing you for a extra $100?