Suspending Habeas Corpus: Is it Nazi?

A series of short, helpful essays explaining that wowee, is it Nazi

Print showing John Bull suspended by his feet between two columns labeled “Lords” and “Commons” — a political joke about Habeas Corpus

Welcome back to Is It Nazi? a series of short, summary essays that takes a look at the headlines for a historical comparison. To avoid the paywall, please sign up for my newsletter. Previous essay HERE. Research based on my new book THE INTERMEDIARIES.

WHAT: Short essays about current events summarizing, historically, whether it deserves to be called “Nazi”

WHEN: Weekly

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Okay, after the recent performance by Kristi Noem, it is clear that a lot of folks don’t know what habeas corpus is. That’s understandable (unless you are the Homeland Security Secretary… in which case it is embarassing).

The phrase, like many in legal and medical fields, is Latin. The direct translation isn’t terribly helpful — it means “you’ve got the body.” A nice mimetic device would be you “have’a the corpse’a,” but it’s best to think of it as a body of evidence that must be brought before a court to determine whether a prisoner is legally detained. It’s served as a “writ” or court order, and it means that a jailer must allow a neurtral judge to make sure the detained aren’t imprisoned for bogus reasons (like…