What is a petition for writ of habeas corpus? A petition for a writ of habeas corpus is a request for the Court to review the legality of your detention.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. Habeas Corpus means a demand to produce the body whether dead or alive. A petitioner cannot seek a writ of habeas corpus unless he is being held "in custody" at the time that the habeas corpus petition is filed. The Habeas Corpus petition claims the arrest, sentence, or trial violated constitutional law, making imprisonment unlawful. Case reports, free online sources, complaints and other pleadings, court records, divorce decree information on changing the law, judges' reversal rates. A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee (e.g. Habeas Corpus means a demand to produce the body whether dead or alive.