Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73not60
§2249 Certified Copies of Indictment, Plea and Judgment; Duty of Respondent
Title 28 › Part VI— PARTICULAR PROCEEDINGS › Chapter 153— HABEAS CORPUS › § 2249
Summary
When a habeas petition challenges someone's detention, the person answering must quickly file certified copies of key case papers (indictment, plea, judgment) with the return or answer if they are missing.
Full Legal Text
Title 28, §2249
Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
On application for a writ of habeas corpus to inquire into the detention of any person pursuant to a judgment of a court of the United States, the respondent shall promptly file with the court certified copies of the indictment, plea of petitioner and the judgment, or such of them as may be material to the questions raised, if the petitioner fails to attach them to his petition, and same shall be attached to the return to the writ, or to the answer to the order to show cause.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Derived from H.R. 4232, Seventy-ninth Congress, first session. It conforms to the prevailing practice in habeas corpus proceedings.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
28 U.S.C. § 2249
Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure
Last Updated
Apr 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60