Senate payout provision defies typical legal concepts, experts say
Snippet of Article: "...would allow senators to file a civil lawsuit against the United States for at least $500,000 per instance if the government searched or subpoenaed their data without notifying them or sought a nondisclosure order or judicial sealing to prevent notification...Bennett L. Gershman, a law professor at Pace University who specializes in corruption investigations and prosecutorial misconduct, said laws with retroactive provisions are normally unconstitutional because they violate due process.
This provision allows senators to file claims for actions taken by federal investigators that were legal at the time they took them, he said. “You have to know that what you’re doing and be guided by what the law tells you you can do today,” Gershman said."