Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. In fact, "habeas corpus" is Latin for "you have the body.A Writ of Habeas Corpus is a civil proceeding that is available in both State and Federal Court to challenge the legality of imprisonment. This Chapter discusses how the writ of habeas corpus is applied in three states: Florida, New York, and Michigan. Translated from Latin it means "show me the body. The habeas corpus remedy offers a particularly effective means for obtaining a prompt custody determination…. Introduction. This pamphlet is intended as a general guide to assist a person in prosecuting a civil matter in the Appellate Division, Second Department. "In the US system, federal courts can use the writ of habeas corpus to determine if a state's detention of a prisoner is valid. LAW"). 3. Other ways of attacking your conviction include filing an appeal, or a state or federal writ of habeas corpus. Ask them to fill out and sign a declaration.