Glossary

Habeas Corpus

The ancient common law preventing unlawful detention. A writ of Habeas Corpus is a summons with the force of a court order, brought by a prisoner or another person acting on the prisoner's behalf. The writ demands that the prisoner be brought before the court for a determination of whether that custodian has lawful authority to hold that person, and if he does not, the person should be released from custody.