Habeas Corpus, in the Federal Court, is a petition that claims that you are being detained against your US constitutional rights. 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 writ of habeas corpus primarily acts as a writ of inquiry, issued to test the reasons or grounds for restraint and detention. The writ of habeas corpus, also known as the Great Writ, is a U.S. legal process that determines whether an offender's imprisonment is valid. I am trying to file a writ of habeas corpus for my brother that is incarcerated in wayne county jail. I need help filling it out. That defendant could not carry his burden without presenting some evidence in addition to his own word, which is contrary to that of counsel's. Translated from Latin it means "show me the body. Friend then filed a federal habeas corpus petition in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The "Great Writ" of habeas corpus is a fundamental right in the Constitution that protects against unlawful and indefinite imprisonment.