3mo ago

The WH says Trump is considering suspending habeas corpus. What would that mean?

4 comments

Means his administration can start disappearing people and nothing the courts will be able to do about it. This won't stop with immigrates.
It means that when I get arrested, I'm not allowed to ask why, or to demand even the thinnest shred of proof that I've done anything at all wrong.
- Not quite. It means that if you’re arrested and convicted you have no legal means to fight back. Meaning you’re already in prison and you can’t use the legal system to overturn your case.
  If you’re not in prison yet then this doesn’t even apply to you.
  
  No, it's not for after conviction. It's for when I'm being held before conviction. My lawyer gets to make the government prove that they have a reason to hold me. It's why a cop can't throw me in prison for six months for looking at him funny.
  It may have some application after conviction too. I'm not a lawyer. This sort of thing is taught in high school, though, and it's important enough that it should be remembered.
  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Habeas_corpus