Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. Put simply, habeas corpus is a writ (petition) that can be used in a narrow set of circumstances to bring the case of a state prisoner.You must file a petition for habeas corpus under under 28 USC § 2254 petition in the District Court for the region in which you were convicted. Habeas corpus is a remedy for violations of constitutional rights, such as ineffective assistance of counsel. Habeas corpus is the right to go before a court or judge and challenge whether the state has lawful grounds to detain the petitioning person. The "Great Writ" of habeas corpus is a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. The Latin phrase habeas corpus translates to "you have the body. The U.S. Supreme Court interprets the Constitution, which means it defines constitutional rights and violations in the cases it decides. Habeas Corpus (Trans: you have the body) -- A writ which brings a person before a court. A habeas corpus petition is not an appeal.