In fact, "habeas corpus" is Latin for "you have the body. Translated from Latin it means "show me the body.Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. Latin, meaning "you have the body. A writ of habeas corpus requires that a person who is in custody be brought before a judge or court and that they be able to challenge that custody. Federal habeas corpus is a procedure under which a federal court may review the legality of an individual's incarceration. It tests the legality of a detention or a restraint and the goal is to use it really almost i guess it's an emergency basis. Such petitions can be filed if a defendant has been convicted in a New York state court as well as for defendants convicted in a federal court. Habeas petitions provide prisoners whose rights are being violated with a means of requesting assistance from a judge. Remember that a writ of habeas corpus is a lawsuit against the warden who is confining the defendant.