A writ of habeas corpus is used to bring a prisoner or other detainee (e.g. Habeas corpus is a Latin phrase meaning "produce the body.Federal habeas corpus is a procedure under which a federal court may review the legality of an individual's incarceration. Habeas corpus, or the Great Writ, is the legal procedure that keeps the government from holding you indefinitely without showing cause. Habeas corpus is a kind of petition that you can file in federal court to claim that your imprisonment violates federal law. In United States law, habeas corpus is a recourse challenging the reasons or conditions of a person's confinement under color of law. A Habeas Corpus Writ is filed with a federal court once the defendant's state appellate remedies have been exhausted. 1 (The term "federal law" includes not only federal statutes, but also U.S. treaties and the. Habeas Corpus - "You have the body," the name given a variety of writs whose object is to bring a person before a court or judge. To perform or carry out all terms of a contract or court order.