Civic term
Habeas Corpus
Also written as: writ of habeas corpus
What it means
A court order requiring officials holding someone in custody to bring them before a judge and justify the detention. It tests the lawfulness of the detention itself, not the guilt or innocence of the person held.
Definition drawn from law.cornell.edu · last verified 2026-08-10
Sift's plain-language summary of the cited source, not a quotation from it.
How it's being covered
20 stories in Sift's index, from 12 outlets.
Filed 2026-05-15 — 2026-09-23.
Counts stories whose headline or summary uses the term, plus stories where Sift's own reading notes flagged it — many pieces turn on a term they never spell out in the headline.
Across the spectrum
- Left5 stories
- Center4 stories
- Right10 stories
Positions are AllSides' published ratings, shown for the outlets that filed these stories. 1 story is counted in the total above but not placed here — either the outlet has no published rating, or Sift has not yet matched the name it files under to a dossier.
Who's covering it
Recent stories on Sift
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Habeas Corpus’ On Netflix, Where A Law Professor And Her Students Try To Reopen The Case Of A Man Convicted Of Murder
Democrat Judge frees ‘Diablo,’ convicted murderer in taxpayer-funded ‘peace ambassador’ case
Jerry Sandusky appears remotely in court as lawyers prepare a federal court bid to seek a new trial
These Judges Take Months to Decide If Immigrants Have Been Unlawfully Detained
Accused Penn State cocaine ringleader is being held unlawfully without bail as traffickers to be tried together: attorney
Federal judge declines Maxwell bid to toss conviction
Longest-serving US prisoner dies at 101 after escaping death penalty 8 times
New DNA evidence casts doubt on Utah death row inmate's case, defense argues
The 1867 Case That Allowed Ordinary Parents—Not Judges—to Redefine the Constitution.
House Democrats question Wiles over reported conversations about suspending habeas corpus
The Trump Administration Seriously Considered Unilaterally Suspending the Writ of Habeas Corpus
The Trump Administration’s Internal Arguments Over Habeas Corpus