writ of habeas corpus

noun phrase

Examples of writ of habeas corpus in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In a petition for writ of habeas corpus filed Sept. 29, his attorneys write the government is illegally denying Contreras-Cervantes and seven other plaintiffs a bond hearing while they are detained in ICE custody because of a Trump administration directive that went into effect on July 8. Julia Marnin, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025 In 1850, enslavers even voided the writ of habeas corpus and its due process protections against unlawful detention by pushing through a national Fugitive Slave Law. Time, 5 Sep. 2025 The other appearance is in Article I, which grants Congress alone the power to suspend the writ of habeas corpus—the very mechanism that Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem have claimed grants the Administration power to detain and disappear people from this country. Cristian Farias, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2025 But as Trump appears to ignore court decisions and high-level administration officials are suggesting suspending the writ of habeas corpus, Bolick is nervous the United States is heading toward authoritarianism. Amanda Luberto, AZCentral.com, 13 Aug. 2025 The right to file a writ of habeas corpus in court is the right to challenge your arrest. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 May 2025 The writ of habeas corpus, which dates back centuries and is a bedrock American legal right, grants anyone detained in the U.S. the right to see a judge, challenge the government’s evidence against them and present a defense. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 12 May 2025 This is the promise of our single most important safeguard of individual liberty—the writ of habeas corpus—the right of any person, citizen or not, to challenge in court their imprisonment by the government. Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 19 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of writ of habeas corpus was in 1762

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Cite this Entry

“Writ of habeas corpus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/writ%20of%20habeas%20corpus. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

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