habeas corpus

American  

[hey-bee-uhs kawr-puhs] / ˈheɪ bi əs ˈkɔr pəs /

noun

Law.

• habeas corpuses,
  plural
• habeas corpora
  plural

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.

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habeas corpus British  

/ 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

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habeas corpus Cultural  

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.”

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Usage

What is habeas corpus? The writ of habeas corpus, often shortened to habeas corpus, is the requirement that an arrested person be brought before a judge or court before being detained or imprisoned.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• habeas corpora
  plural
• habeas corpuses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of habeas corpus

< 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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

habeas corpus

The day of The Times’ article publication, the public defenders office helped the family file a habeas corpus petition on behalf of Wilber.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

Suspending habeas corpus is not a simple on/off switch.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

At the time, the departures left the office understaffed amid a glut of habeas corpus petition cases from federal immigration detainees challenging their arrests during the surge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

Fernandez should not appeal to compassionate release but habeas corpus.

From Slate ● May 29, 2026

Shultz filed his habeas corpus petition, and the Kansas Supreme Court commissioned one of its own retired justices, the Honorable Walter G. Thiele, to conduct a full-scale hearing.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

Related Words

• action
• arraignment
• case
• contest
• hearing
• impeachment
• indictment
• lawsuit
• litigation
• prosecution
• suit
• tribunal