Today marks the 792nd birthday of habeas corpus, a.k.a. the “Great Writ.” Executive Director Anthony Romero commemorates this day with a quick history of habeas on HuffingtonPost.com:
The irony is that habeas corpus was born of war and conflict, not peace and harmony. It was forced upon a reluctant monarchy in response to an unpopular war and autocratic, arrogant rule. In short, habeas is the precedent that defines how a just society faces a crisis , it is not an antiquated ideal from simpler times.
Help habeas out by joining the ACLU, Amnesty International and several other coalition partners on June 26 in Washington, D.C., for the Day of Action to Restore Law and Justice, where we’ll meet face-to-face with lawmakers to demand that Congress restore habeas corpus, stop torture, and protect our constitutional freedoms.
