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Cases

Habeas petitions described a broad range of carceral, institutional, and interpersonal confinement over the long nineteenth century, including those used to demand due process, resist enslavement, challenge child removal and reservation confinement, avoid deportation, present child custody claims and protest child marriage, and to challenge institutionalization and detention in private and state institutions. As a legal mechanism borrowed from British common law and guaranteed as a civil right in US federal and state constitutions, habeas provides a lens on a diverse community of legal actors.

Our encoding practice allows us to identify petitions in these three categories and to indicate where those categories overlap. In addition to these three general categories, our team has identified the specific carceral charge being challenged as well as the particular forms of institutional and interpersonal confinements being questioned.

You may also browse or search petitions by location and/or jurisdiction to learn more about the myriad complaints petitioners brought before judges in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington between 1812 and 1924. Each case entry includes a full citation, a summary, links to people with a role in the case, a list of other people named, and any sites of significance. Visitors wanting access to full case files can contact the cited repository for information about obtaining copies. Those without institutional affiliations may request image scans from Dr. Jagodinsky directly. The Glossary defines the attributes used to structure data from the habeas petitions. The Code Book explains the relational structure of the data and functionality of the database website.

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Spatial.Id : hc.loc.000004

11 results

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In Re: F. S. Walton for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: September 5, 1901
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: peddling without a license
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Not in custody

In the matter of the application of Lee Fong for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: July 14, 1902
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: refusal or inability to pay fine | Carceral: violation of city ordinance
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of Yvonne LeFevre, Marie LeFevre, and Georgette Normand for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 11, 1903
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: prostitution | Carceral: public charge | Institutional: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Released on bail | deported | jumped bail

Nick Mordavick, Plaintiff, vs. Joseph R. H. Jacoby, as Marshall of the above named District, Defendant

  • Earliest record date: April 21, 1912
  • Petition type(s): Carceral
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the application of Ben Wa, for a writ of Habeas Corpus for Tung Kee

  • Earliest record date: July 9, 1912
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: deportation | Carceral: immigration
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In Re Mac Fock v. State of Washington

  • Earliest record date: July 23, 1908
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: deportation
  • Petition outcome: Writ denied
  • Fate of bound party: Remained in custody

In the matter of the petition of Albert H. Young and Kamasaburo Sugiuor alias B. K. Sugiuor for a Writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: June 19, 1913
  • Petition type(s): carceral: Violation of White Slave Traffic Act
  • Petition outcome: Writ dismissed
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the Matter of William L. Huffman on Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: February 15, 1916
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: wrongful imprisonment | Carceral: possession of opium derivatives
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of William Reitman for a writ of habeas corpus

  • Earliest record date: November 29, 1918
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: immigration | Carceral: advocating or teaching the unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917 | Carceral: public charge | carceral: advocating or teaching destruction | carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction | carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: advocating for unlawful distruction of property
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown

In the matter of the application of Rudolph Tschahle for a writ of habeas corpus

  • Earliest record date: December 23, 1918
  • Petition type(s): carceral: advocating for unlawful destruction of property | Carceral: immigration | Carceral: Violation of Immigration Act of 1917
  • Petition outcome: Writ allowed
  • Fate of bound party: Released from custody

In the matter of the application of Tonka Bajlo for a writ of Habeas Corpus

  • Earliest record date: April 15, 1913
  • Petition type(s): Carceral: deportation | Carceral: immigration | Carceral: prostitution
  • Petition outcome: Unknown
  • Fate of bound party: Unknown
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