habeas corpus

(noun)

A writ to bring a person before a court or a judge, most frequently used to ensure that a person's imprisonment, detention, or commitment is legal.

Related Terms

Examples of habeas corpus in the following topics:

  • Powers Denied to Congress

    • Congress has numerous prohibited powers dealing with habeas corpus, regulation of commerce, titles of nobility, ex post facto and taxes.
    • The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.

  • Emergency Powers

    • The right of habeas corpus, under Article 1, Section 9, and the right to a grand jury for members of the National Guard when in actual service, under Fifth Amendment.
    • Habeas corpus was suspended on April 27, 1861 during the American Civil War by Abraham Lincoln in parts of Maryland and some midwestern states, including southern Indiana.

  • Article I

    • The section provides that the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended "except when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it"; prohibits bills of attainder or ex post facto laws; bars the imposition of taxes or duties on articles exported from any state or the granting of preference to ports of one state over another; and prohibits civil officers from accepting titles of nobility without the consent of Congress.
    • The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.

  • Congress

    • The President gathered troops near Corpus Christi.