Translated from Latin it means "show me the body. The writ of habeas corpus is the fundamental instrument for safeguarding individual freedom against arbitrary and lawless government action. 2.Habeas corpus is available to prisoners challenging their convictions and sentences. A habeas corpus petition in California allows you to challenge your conviction or sentencing. You can file it only after exhausting all criminal appeals. In United States law, habeas corpus is a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's confinement under color of law. A Writ of Habeas Corpus is one of the primary ways of obtaining a client's freedom based on his or her actual innocence. The law in the area is an intricate weave of statute and case law. The jurisdiction of a court of appeals over constitutional claims and questions of law in a petition for review of a final order of removal. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, which means it defines constitutional rights and violations in the cases it decides.