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A petition for a writ of habeas corpus is a civil post-conviction motion the
first Congress borrowed from English common law to guard against the
unconstitutional detainment of persons protected by the new Constitution.
The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA) attempted to
significantly narrow the opportunity for habeas relief in the United States while
also greatly increasing federal deference to state courts in applications for writs
of habeas corpus.

Read the Comment by Anna S. Roy here