The History of Habeas Corpus

The writ of habeas corpus became official law in Britain in the 1600s and was later enshrined in US law as Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution. The framers clearly understood the need to protect personal liberty against abuses of power, but they also recognized that habeas Corpus could itself be abused in certain situations. That clause has only been invoked a handful of times in US history, and one of the earliest and most notable cases was on this day in 1871.