If you prepare your own petition, file it with the Clerk of Family Court on the 11th floor of the courthouse at. Go to police and file criminal complaint for interference with child custody orders.Fill in the names of the plaintiff and defendant in the heading of the petition exactly as they appear in the custody complaint. Attorney Brian Zeiger can work to review the specific facts of your case and help you apply for habeas corpus through the federal judicial system. A writ of habeas is not going to accomplish the desired result. Some court filing costs may be in the hundreds of dollars. Generally speaking, you have a year from when your case becomes final to file a federal habeas corpus petition. First, a U.S.C. § 2254 allows us to file a petition for Habeas Corpus when the client is in custody under sentence of a state court and is in a state prison. A habeas corpus petition must state how your rights have been violated under federal law. Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas committed the children to DHS custody.