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The Great Writ In The Peach State: Georgia Habeas Corpus, 1865-1965, Donald E. Wilkes Jr.

Scholarly Works

There is a plenitude of scholarly writing on the Great Writ of Habeas Corpus, which is universally recognized as "one of the decisively differentiating factors between our democracy and totalitarian governments."' The overwhelming majority of these scholarly publications are concerned with the writ of habeas corpus as administered in the federal court system. There are far fewer scholarly publications on the writ of habeas corpus as administered in the courts of the State of Georgia, and most of these works are concerned with Georgia habeas corpus as a state postconviction remedy, past and present. Only one scholarly piece, a law …

From Oglethorpe To The Overthrow Of The Confederacy: Habeas Corpus In Georgia, 1733-1865, Donald E. Wilkes Jr.

Scholarly Works

This Article will provide, for the first time, a comprehensive account of the writ of habeas corpus in Georgia not primarily focused on use of the writ as a postconviction remedy. The Article covers the 132-year period stretching from 1733, when the Georgia colony was established, to 1865, when the Confederate States of America was finally defeated and the American Civil War came to a close.

From Oglethorpe To The Overthrow Of The Confederacy: Habeas Corpus In Georgia, 1733-1865, Donald E. Wilkes Jr.

Georgia Law Review

This Article provides, for the first time, a comprehensive
account of the writ of habeas corpus in Georgia not

primarily focused on use of the writ as a post conviction
remedy. The Article covers the 132-year period stretching
from 1733, when the Georgia colony was established, to
1865, when the American Civil War came to a close. Part
II of this Article, which examines the writ of habeas corpus
in colonial Georgia, begins by briefly summarizing the
history and development of the writ in England, and then
analyzes the reception and availability in the colony of the
common law writ …

The Writ Of Habeas Corpus In Georgia, Donald E. Wilkes Jr.

Popular Media

Lauded as "the Great Writ" and praised as "one of the precious heritages of Anglo-American civilization," the legal writ of habeas corpus marvelously triggers a judicial proceeding in which courts may release individuals from unlawful restraints on their liberty. Indeed, this writ has been a part of Georgia law even prior to the creation of the United States. Today Georgia habeas corpus proceedings commonly involve pretrial confinement on criminal charges, detention in a mental health facility, extradition and postconviction cases. Some of these habeas decisions have even taken on human rights landmark status.

Postconviction Habeas Corpus Relief In Georgia: A Decade After The Habeas Corpus Act, Donald E. Wilkes Jr.

Scholarly Works

Part II of this Article will highlight the grounds for relief from a conviction or sentence that were available to a Georgia prisoner prior to 1967 and the procedural obstacles to relief that existed. Part III will explore the grounds for relief currently available, and Part IV will examine the procedural obstacles to postconviction relief that remain. Part V will briefly summarize the availability of postconfiction relief in federal court to determine whether the 1967 Act has in fact eliminated the friction between the state courts and the federal courts.