Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. To get a writ of habeas corpus, you must file a petition for a civil (not criminal) proceeding in either state or federal court.The Writ of Habeas Corpus is a legal defense against unlawful incarceration. In fact, "habeas corpus" is Latin for "you have the body. The Writ of Habeas Corpus protects prison inmates from false imprisonment to ensure people are not thrown into jail unlawfully. A Writ of Habeas Corpus is a civil proceeding that is available in both State and Federal Court to challenge the legality of imprisonment. The phrase "habeas corpus" is translated as "present a body before the court. The Writ of Habeas Corpus is the legal system's last line of defense against unlawful incarceration. The "Great Writ" of habeas corpus is a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment. To be allowed to petition for a Writ of Habeas Corpus, you must first "exhaust your remedies.