From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishhabeas corpusha‧be‧as cor‧pus /ˌheɪbiəs ˈkɔːpəs $ -ˈkɔːr-/ noun [uncountable] lawSCT a law which says that a person can only be kept in prison following a court’s decision
Examples from the Corpus
habeas corpus• But habeas corpus is in fact a federal civil proceeding, where much broader rules apply.• Had he seen a challenge to the controversial habeas corpus situation as a means to garner attention?• Kennedy and other opponents of habeas corpus reform made a last-minute appeal to have the provision stripped from the bill.• His petition for a writ of habeas corpus was denied by the circuit court.• The Senate added restrictions on habeas corpus, or the right of prisoners to appeal against death sentences.• The first effectively eliminated the filing of successive habeas corpus claims.• Yet the bill that has emerged from conference still includes the habeas corpus restrictions and the easier deportation rules.From Longman Business Dictionaryhabeas corpusha‧be‧as cor‧pus /ˌheɪbiəs ˈkɔːpəs-ˈkɔːr-/ noun [uncountable] LAW the right of someone in prison to come to a court of law so that the court can decide whether they should stay in prison40% of habeas corpus appeals are successful.Origin habeas corpus (1400-1500) Latin “you should have the body” (the first words on the document which demands that the person should be allowed to come to court) 