Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-102
§2247 Documentary Evidence
Title 28 › PART VI — PARTICULAR PROCEEDINGS › CHAPTER 153 — HABEAS CORPUS › § 2247
Summary
When a person asks a court to review whether they are being lawfully held, written records and court transcripts can be used as evidence. This includes records of arraignment, plea, and sentencing, and any transcript of oral testimony from an earlier similar petition by or for the same person.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §2247
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
On application for a writ of habeas corpus documentary evidence, transcripts of proceedings upon arraignment, plea and sentence and a transcript of the oral testimony introduced on any previous similar application by or in behalf of the same petitioner, shall be admissible in evidence.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Derived from H.R. 4232, Seventy-ninth Congress, first session. It is declaratory of existing law and practice.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 2247
Title 28, Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102