Federal law requires that in order to preserve a competency to be executed claim the claim must be raised in the initial petition for habeas corpus. A Writ of Habeas Corpus is a civil proceeding that is available in both State and Federal Court to challenge the legality of imprisonment.The writ of habeas corpus is a legal order requiring a person holding another person to produce that individual before a court or judge. During the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln suspended the right of habeas corpus in a test of executive authority. In United States law, habeas corpus is a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's confinement under color of law. It demands a person's release from unlawful detention. You should use this form if. Davis demonstrated the philosoph faced the problem of the suspension. You should use this form if. An application for a Writ of Habeas Corpus is filed when a person seeks relief from unlawful detention or imprisonment.