Habeas Corpus petitions are filed in a California court by inmates or, more specifically, their attorneys, claiming they have been unlawfully detained or imprisoned. It is considered a last legal resort after other legal remedies and appeals have been exhausted.
Federal habeas corpus is a procedure under which a federal court may review the legality of an individual's incarceration. It is most often the stage of the criminal appellate process that follows direct appeal and any available state collateral review. The law in the area is an intricate weave of statute and case law.
The court must rule on a petition for writ of habeas corpus within 60 days after the petition is filed.
If an inmate meets all the requirements to file a petition for writ of habeas corpus, they will file their petition in the superior court in the court of conviction. Within 60 days, the court will review the petition to determine if the inmate raised a prima facie case entitling them to relief.
Thus, to effectively file a writ of habeas corpus in California state court, an inmate must have been convicted and either serving a sentence of incarceration, probation or parole. They must have also filed a direct appeal to the appellate court and then to the California Supreme Court.
The court must rule on a petition for writ of habeas corpus within 60 days after the petition is filed. (B) If the court fails to rule on the petition within 60 days of its filing, the petitioner may file a notice and request for ruling.
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.
Today, habeas corpus is mainly used as a post-conviction remedy for state or federal prisoners who challenge the legality of the application of federal laws that were used in the judicial proceedings that resulted in their detention.
The writ of habeas corpus is the great remedy of the citizen or subject against arbitrary or illegal imprisonment; it is the mode by which the judicial power speedily and effectually protects the personal liberty of every individual, and repels the injustice of unconstitutional laws and despotic governments.
The "Great Writ" of habeas corpus is a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. Translated from Latin it means "show me the body." Habeas corpus has historically been an important instrument to safeguard individual freedom against arbitrary executive power.