Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. Translated from Latin it means "show me the body.There are four requirements you must fulfill in order to get state habeas relief: (1) you must be in custody,. A Writ of Habeas Corpus is a civil proceeding that is available in both State and Federal Court to challenge the legality of imprisonment. Thus, rather than examining a case for legal error, a habeas corpus proceeding examines whether any constitutional violations occurred at trial or sentencing. Where do I file a post-judgment motion? How do I file a Writ of Habeas Corpus? Habeas corpus is Latin for "that you have the body" or "show me the body," and functions as legal shorthand from a judge to a corrections officer. Habeas corpus is Latin for "that you have the body" or "show me the body," and functions as legal shorthand from a judge to a corrections officer. The law in the area is an intricate weave of statute and case law.