The right to ''habeas corpus'' is phrased as a [[writ]], making reference to the arcane system of writs by which legal claims were adjudicated prior to the 1900s (e.g., the "writ of replevin," or "writ of mandamus"). Thus, the right is referred to as "the writ of ''habeas corpus''," or, "the Great Writ." | The right to ''habeas corpus'' is phrased as a [[writ]], making reference to the arcane system of writs by which legal claims were adjudicated prior to the 1900s (e.g., the "writ of replevin," or "writ of mandamus"). Thus, the right is referred to as "the writ of ''habeas corpus''," or, "the Great Writ." |