Definition of habeas corpus
- a writ or right requiring review of whether detention is lawful
Usage examples of habeas corpus
After months without charges, her lawyer sought habeas corpus so the state would have to justify her imprisonment.
The prisoner filed a habeas corpus petition, asking a judge to decide whether the jail had a legal reason to keep holding him.
Habeas corpus prevents the government from locking someone up indefinitely without letting a court review the detention.