Ask the court for a writ of habeas corpus (a court order telling a public official, like a prison warden, to bring you to the court and show a legal reason for holding you) to challenge your criminal conviction or commitment to another facility or the conditions under which you are being held. Get form HC-001.
Under the Florida and United States Constitutions, you have the right to file a writ of habeas corpus if you are being locked up in a federal or state correctional facility. This type of writ in state or federal court. When you file your petition, you are asking the judge to decide whether your imprisonment is lawful.
Typical examples where a court has granted a habeas corpus petition include claims of new evidence discovered in the case, ineffective assistance of counsel, prosecutorial misconduct, incompetence to stand trial, and challenging conditions of confinement.
The right to file a petition for writ of habeas corpus is guaranteed by the California constitution. In order to be eligible to petition for such relief, the petitioner must be “in custody,” either actually or constructively.
State every ground (reason) that supports your claim that you are being held in violation of the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States. Attach additional pages if you have more than four grounds. State the facts supporting each ground. Any legal arguments must be submitted in a separate memorandum.
A Writ of Habeas Corpus literally translates to bring a body before the court. A writ is an order from a higher court to a lower court or government agency or official. When you file a petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, you are asking the court to order the government agency to appear and bring you before the court.
The denial of a petition becomes final immediately if the Court of Appeal has not previously issued an alternative writ or order to show cause. (Cal. Rules of Ct., rule 8.264(a)(2)(A).) That means that a petition for review from summary denial of a petition for writ of habeas corpus must be filed within ten days.
Article I, Section 9, Clause 2: The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.