Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Habeas corpus \Ha"be*as cor"pus\ (h[=a]"b[-e]*[a^]s
k[^o]r"p[u^]s). [L. you may have the body.] (Law)
A writ having for its object to bring a party before a court
or judge; especially, one to inquire into the cause of a
person's imprisonment or detention by another, with the view
to protect the right to personal liberty; also, one to bring
a prisoner into court to testify in a pending trial.
--Bouvier.
Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
writ requiring a person to be brought before a court, mid-15c., Latin, literally "(you should) have the person," in phrase habeas corpus ad subjiciendum "produce or have the person to be subjected to (examination)," opening words of writs in 14c. Anglo-French documents to require a person to be brought before a court or judge, especially to determine if that person is being legally detained. From habeas, second person singular present subjunctive of habere "to have, to hold" (see habit (n.)) + corpus "person," literally "body" (see corporeal). In reference to more than one person, habeas corpora.
Wiktionary
n. (context legal English) A writ to bring a person before a court or a judge, most frequently used to ensure that a person's imprisonment, detention, or commitment is legal.
WordNet
n. a writ ordering a prisoner to be brought before a judge [syn: writ of habeas corpus]
the civil right to obtain a writ of habeas corpus as protection against illegal imprisonment
Wikipedia
Habeas corpus is a legal action through which a person can seek relief from unlawful detention.
Habeas corpus may also refer to:
- Habeas Corpus Act 1679, an Act of the Parliament of England passed during the reign of King Charles II to define and strengthen the writ of habeas corpus
- Habeas Corpus (1928 film), a Laurel and Hardy short
- Habeas Corpus, the name of the fictional film that is being made in the film The Player
- "Habeas Corpus", an episode of the television series Ultraviolet
- " Habeas Corpses", a 2003 episode of the television series Angel
- Habeas Corpus (play), a 1973 comedy stage play by Alan Bennett
- Habeas Corpus (pig), a fictional pet in the pulp magazine Doc Savage
- Habeas Corpus (album), an album by Living Things
- Habeas Corpus (band), a 1980s hardcore punk band from Oxnard, California
Habeas Corpus is a 1928 short comedy silent film starring Laurel and Hardy as grave-robbers hired by a mad scientist. It was shot in July 1928 and released by M-G-M on December 1. Although technically a silent film — having intertitles and no synchronized dialogue — it was the inaugural Roach film released with a synchronized music and sounds effects track for theatres wired for sound. The Victor sound discs were long thought lost until a lone set surfaced in the 1990s and was reunited with the film elements.
Habeas Corpus is a stage comedy in two acts by the English author Alan Bennett. It was first performed at the Lyric Theatre in London on 10 May 1973, with Alec Guinness in the central role. It ran, with cast changes, until 10 August 1974. The Broadway production that followed was less successful, running for less than three months. The play has been revived several times since then, in London and elsewhere.
The action revolves around the (generally) thwarted libidos of the principal characters. The title of the play is an old legal term habeas corpus, which translates from Latin as "you shall have the body".
Habeas Corpus is the second album from St. Louis rock band Living Things. The album was recorded over a period of nine months in Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin. Michael Ilbert produced Habeas Corpus, unlike the previous record, Ahead of the Lions, which was produced by Steve Albini.
Habeas corpus (; Medieval Latin meaning literally "You may have the body") is a recourse in law whereby a person can report an unlawful detention or imprisonment before a court, usually through a prison official.
A writ of habeas corpus is known as "the great and efficacious writ in all manner of illegal confinement", being a remedy available to the meanest against the mightiest. It is a summons with the force of a court order; it is addressed to the custodian (a prison official for example) and demands that a prisoner be taken before the court, and that the custodian present proof of authority, allowing the court to determine whether the custodian has lawful authority to detain the prisoner. If the custodian is acting beyond his or her authority, then the prisoner must be released. Any prisoner, or another person acting on his or her behalf, may petition the court, or a judge, for a writ of habeas corpus. One reason for the writ to be sought by a person other than the prisoner is that the detainee might be held incommunicado. Most civil law jurisdictions provide a similar remedy for those unlawfully detained, but this is not always called habeas corpus. For example, in some Spanish-speaking nations, the equivalent remedy for unlawful imprisonment is the amparo de libertad ('protection of freedom').
Habeas corpus has certain limitations. Though a writ of right, it is not a writ of course. It is technically only a procedural remedy; it is a guarantee against any detention that is forbidden by law, but it does not necessarily protect other rights, such as the entitlement to a fair trial. So if an imposition such as internment without trial is permitted by the law, then habeas corpus may not be a useful remedy. In some countries, the process has been temporarily or permanently suspended, in all of a government's jurisdictions or only some, because of what might be construed by some government institutions as a series of events of such relevance to the government as to warrant a suspension; in more recent times, such an event has been frequently referred to as a state of emergency.
The right to petition for a writ of habeas corpus has nonetheless long been celebrated as the most efficient safeguard of the liberty of the subject. The jurist Albert Venn Dicey wrote that the British Habeas Corpus Acts "declare no principle and define no rights, but they are for practical purposes worth a hundred constitutional articles guaranteeing individual liberty".
The writ of habeas corpus is one of what are called the "extraordinary", " common law", or " prerogative writs", which were historically issued by the English courts in the name of the monarch to control inferior courts and public authorities within the kingdom. The most common of the other such prerogative writs are quo warranto, prohibito, mandamus, procedendo, and certiorari. The due process for such petitions is not simply civil or criminal, because they incorporate the presumption of non-authority. The official who is the respondent must prove his authority to do or not do something. Failing this, the court must decide for the petitioner, who may be any person, not just an interested party. This differs from a motion in a civil process in which the movant must have standing, and bears the burden of proof.
Habeas Corpus was a hardcore punk band that emerged from the Nardcore scene of Oxnard, California in the early 1980s. One of the region's first straight edge bands, Habeas Corpus combined Misfits-style horror punk with the early 80s Southern California surf/ skate sound. The bands' song "Steal You Blind" was featured on Mystic Records' Nardcore LP compilation documenting the early Oxnard hardcore punk scene. The members were all under 18, Mike Brown was only 13. They also appeared on Mystic's Party Animal LP compilation with "Last Dream" written by Rob Monsour. Habeas Corpus performed shows in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and then toured with Agression, another band from Oxnard's Nardcore scene.
Usage examples of "habeas corpus".
He lost what little sense he had and I followed Habeas Corpus to see what had happened.
Doc saw the pig, Habeas Corpus, stirring on his back, an indication that the shoat had thrown off the mysterious spell and was reviving.
What Monk saw in the glare caused him to drop Habeas Corpus from under his arms and stare.
Ham, feeling a light jar against his back, as if Habeas Corpus had touched him, struck out behind him.
Chemistry had picked up Habeas Corpus, was carrying the pig so he could make better time.
I have suspended habeas corpus throughout the Union, and on January the first I shall free the slaves in the rebel states.
Monk stood beside the bronze man, listening and hanging onto the pets, Habeas Corpus and Chemistry, which had been found safe.
They saw the pig, Habeas Corpus, come hurtling from the cabin of Doc's speed ship.
He pretended to devote his attention to keeping his pig, Habeas Corpus, out of the clutches of Ham’.