State prisoners can petition Federal courts to review the validity of their convictions and sentences; these petitions, commonly called habeas corpus petitions, allege that criminal proceedings and resulting convictions and/or sentences violated the constitutional rights of prisoners.
A Writ of Habeas Corpus is usually filed by submitting a Petition, a Memorandum of Points and Authorities, a Declaration from the defendant, and other evidence which supports the Writ of Habeas Corpus. The Memorandum of Points of Authorities is a legal memorandum, which contains the legal arguments of the defendant.
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.
Section 2241 of Title 28 of the United States Code (“28 U.S.C. § 2241”) permits courts to issue writs of habeas corpus where a prisoner establishes that he is in custody in violation of the Constitution or laws or treaties of the United States.
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.
PETITION FOR WRIT OF HABEAS CORPUS BY A PERSON IN FEDERAL CUSTODY UNDER 28 U.S.C.
The literal meaning of habeas corpus is "you should have the body"—that is, the judge or court should (and must) have any person who is being detained brought forward so that the legality of that person's detention can be assessed.
About 63% of issues raised in habeas corpus petitions by state court prisoners are dismissed on procedural grounds at the U.S. District Court level, and about 35% of those issues are dismissed based on the allegations in the petition on the merits (on the merits has a different meaning than what it's used for here).
After the Writ of Habeas Corpus is filed, the Court has a few options. The Court may deny the Writ, the Court may request that the government submit a response to the Writ, or the Court may grant the Writ.