habeas corpus

[ hey-bee-uhs kawr-puhs ]

noun

, Law.

1. a writ requiring a person to be brought before a judge or court, especially for investigation of a restraint of the person's liberty, used as a protection against illegal imprisonment.

habeas corpus

/ ˈheɪbɪəs ˈkɔːpəs /

noun

1. law a writ ordering a person to be brought before a court or judge, esp so that the court may ascertain whether his detention is lawful

habeas corpus

1. A legal term meaning that an accused person must be presented physically before the court with a statement demonstrating sufficient cause for arrest. Thus, no accuser may imprison someone indefinitely without bringing that person and the charges against him or her into a courtroom. In Latin , habeas corpus literally means “you shall have the body.”

Word History and Origins

Origin of habeas corpus¹

< Latin: literally, have the body (first words of writ), equivalent to habeās 2nd-person singular present subjunctive (with imperative force) of habēre to have + corpus body

Word History and Origins

Origin of habeas corpus¹

C15: from the opening of the Latin writ, literally: you may have the body

Example Sentences

“The Japanese in California should be under armed guard to the last man and woman right now and to hell with habeas corpus until the danger is over,” Pegler wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Previous efforts by the brothers and their attorneys to cut short their incarceration have been fruitless, but a new writ of habeas corpus citing new evidence is being considered by the Dist.

From Los Angeles Times

Gascón’s announcement comes more than a year after Erik and Lyle Menendez filed a writ of habeas corpus asking the court to vacate their 1996 conviction, citing new evidence.

From Los Angeles Times

Gascón’s announcement comes more than a year after Erik and Lyle Menendez filed a writ of habeas corpus asking the court to vacate their 1996 conviction.

From Los Angeles Times

In court filings, prosecutors note that one of the doctors who testified in the trial, Donald Minckler, changed his opinion from his prior testimony, and agreed with defense attorneys that a habeas corpus motion met legal standards.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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