A court hearing a Writ of Habeas Corpus has the authority to schedule a new trial, modify the sentence given by the prior court, and even order the immediate release of a prisoner who is wrongfully confined.
A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee (e.g. institutionalized mental patient) before the court to determine if the person's imprisonment or detention is lawful. A habeas petition proceeds as a civil action against the State agent (usually a warden) who holds the defendant in custody.
With almost ten thousand petitions filed per year, and a paltry 3.2% success rate, federal habeas petitions occupy a unique role in the criminal justice system. 2 Federal habeas is one of my favorite areas of the law because it offers a fascinating crossroads of criminal law and constitutional law.
A writ of habeas corpus orders the custodian of an individual in custody to produce the individual before the court to make an inquiry concerning his or her detention, to appear for prosecution (ad prosequendum) or to appear to testify (ad testificandum).
§ 9-14-45, service of a petition of habeas corpus shall be made upon the person having custody of the petitioner. If you are being detained under the custody of the Georgia Department of Corrections, an additional copy of the petition must be served on the attorney general of Georgia.
The following are some common grounds for writ of habeas corpus petitions: Introduction of new evidence that points to your innocence. Changes in the law. Incompetency during trial. Ineffective assistance of counsel. Conviction under unconstitutional law. Prosecutorial misconduct. No jurisdiction.
A writ of habeas corpus orders the person who is responsible for the detention or incarceration – in criminal cases, the warden or jailer – to produce the detained person in court, so that a judge may decide whether the person is in lawful custody.
For example, if an individual was convicted on the basis that their skin color matched that of the perpetrator ing to eyewitnesses, but there is no other evidence against them, then the individual can appeal for habeas corpus in order to be freed from imprisonment.
For example, if an individual was convicted on the basis that their skin color matched that of the perpetrator ing to eyewitnesses, but there is no other evidence against them, then the individual can appeal for habeas corpus in order to be freed from imprisonment.
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.