The writ of habeas corpus is an extraordinary remedy because it gives a court the power to release a prisoner after the prisoner has been processed through the criminal justice system, with all its procedural safeguards and appeals.
Noun. 1. Roger Brooke Taney-United States jurist who served as chief justice of the United States Supreme Court; remembered for his ruling that slaves and their descendants have no rights as citizens (1777-1864).
He was a prosecutor who was mowed down allegedly by Capone wielding a machinegun trying to hit a rival gang. (Photo courtesy of Larry Raeder). Roger Touhy under original name Towey.