Habeas corpus

Latin term meaning "you have the body." The writ of habeascorpus, known as the great writ, has varied use in criminal and civil contexts.It is a procedure for obtaining a judicial determination of the legality of anindividual's custody. Technically, it is used in the criminal law context tobring the petitioner before the court to inquire into the legality of his orher confinement. The writ of federal habeas corpus is used to test theconstitutionality of a state criminal conviction. The writ is used in the civilcontext to challenge the validity of child custody and deportations.