
What is habeas corpus, the legal procedure Trump is considering suspending?
CNN
The future of habeas corpus has been pushed into the spotlight as President Donald Trump has been involved in discussions inside his administration over potentially taking the extreme step of suspending the procedure.
The future of habeas corpus has been pushed into the spotlight as President Donald Trump has been involved in discussions inside his administration over potentially taking the extreme step of suspending the procedure. Habeas corpus is a legal principle that allows people who believe they are being unlawfully detained or imprisoned to petition for their release in court. Immigrants and rights groups have filed habeas petitions in recent months as Trump has tried to speed up deportations as part of his immigration agenda. Still, habeas petitions are notoriously difficult to win in federal court, and it will be a challenge for most immigrants to obtain lawyers. Lee Kovarsky, law professor at the University of Texas and expert on habeas corpus, said it would be a “national historical disaster.” “The executive could just detain you, and there would be no recourse,” he said. “Obviously they would do it to try to detain certain non citizens, but there’s no reason why it’s limited to them.”













