Changes

In one famous case, a Southern newspaper editor was imprisoned for repeatedly criticizing military officials during Reconstruction in Mississippi.  Congress, then controlled by northerners who were angry at the South and feared a decision in favor of a southerner in this case, passed a law in 1867 to take away from federal courts their authority to hear these cases.  But the Supreme Court reasserted its power anyway, by holding that it retained authority to hear these habeas corpus cases on appeal under the Judiciary Act of 1789.

In one famous case, a Southern newspaper editor was imprisoned for repeatedly criticizing military officials during Reconstruction in Mississippi.  Congress, then controlled by northerners who were angry at the South and feared a decision in favor of a southerner in this case, passed a law in 1867 to take away from federal courts their authority to hear these cases.  But the Supreme Court reasserted its power anyway, by holding that it retained authority to hear these habeas corpus cases on appeal under the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Massive illegal immigration by Chinese in the late 1800s caused another habeas corpus controversy, with one federal judge in northern California hearing more than 7,000 cases requesting writs of habeas corpus for imprisoned Chinese immigrants.  Thousands of these writs of habeas corpus petitions were granted to the prisoners, but ultimately the Supreme Court took away much of this power from the lower federal courts to reverse a decision made by immigration authorities to deport someone, typically back to China.

Massive illegal immigration by Chinese in the late 1800s caused another habeas corpus controversy, with one federal judge in northern California hearing more than 7,000 cases requesting writs of habeas corpus for imprisoned Chinese immigrants.  Thousands of these writs of habeas corpus petitions were granted to the prisoners, but ultimately the Supreme Court took away much of this power from the lower federal courts to grant habeas corpus relief to illegal immigrants.  Instead, federal district courts were required mostly to abide by decisions made by immigration authorities to deport someone, which at that time typically meant sending the detained person back to China.

== The "Fourth Branch" of Government ==

== The "Fourth Branch" of Government ==