A writ of habeas corpus is a judicial mandate to a prison official, usually the warden, ordering that an inmate be brought to the court. A Writ of Habeas Corpus is a civil proceeding that is available in both State and Federal Court to challenge the legality of imprisonment.Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. The single justice also presides over formal bar admission ceremonies twice a year. The law in the area is an intricate weave of statute and case law. Gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. An "information" and an "indictment" are both considered formal charges. See JLM, Appendix V: Definitions of Words Used in the JLM. Comm'r of Office of Mental Health of New York, 818 F.2d 1046, 1051-52 (2d Cir. Even if the defendant refuses to fill out a CJA Form 23 financial affidavit because of his fear that it will be used in his prosecution,. 71.