Writ(ten) Before Us: Writ of Error Coram Nobis

Writs. We’ve all heard of them. There’s the writ of certiorari, the writ of habeas corpus, and the writ of mandamus, just to name a few. But what exactly is a writ and what does it do? Simply put, a writ is “an order issued by a legal authority with administrative or judicial powers, typically a court.” Historically, in the common law, writs were used to convey real property, grant privileges or rights, and to convey information. They were also written executive directives from the king, instruments by which the king could intervene into matters that were not resolved by feudal courts. Later, writs evolved, adopting a more judicial nature, acting as summonses or the initial documents in legal matters or as an order commanding a person to do something or refrain from doing something.

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Upcoming CLE – “80 Years Later: The Legacy of Japanese American Incarceration and Korematsu v. The United States”

On February 17, 2022, the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library, in conjunction with Stop Repeating History, will present a CLE entitled, “80 Years Later: The Legacy of Japanese American Incarceration and Korematsu v. The United States.” More information and registration information will be forthcoming in early 2022. This blog post provides an overview of the background and procedural history of the Korematsu v. The United States court case as context for the February 17th CLE.

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