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New Habeas Book

Book Review

Habeas Corpus Checklist is the 1995 book by Ira Robbins which gives an exhaustive overview of the law of federal habeas corpus petitions. The book is current through the Supreme Courts 1993-94 term. Useful for both attorneys and pro se litigants the book is divided into sixteen chapters that highlight the relevant case law on each aspect of habeas litigation. This includes chapters explaining the three competing models of federal habeas review, general habeas notes (i.e. no right to counsel), a history of the writ; an overview of its scope; non-retroactivity of habeas petitions; jurisdiction and venue; exhaustion of state judicial remedies, mixed petitions; state procedural defaults, evidentiary hearings, appeals; successive petitions and additional references along with sample forms and motions.

The book discusses controlling supreme court doctrine on these issues as well as the law in each circuit. This book will be especially useful for those preparing a habeas petition for the first time. For the experienced habeas litigator it provides a useful checklist, as the title implies, of things to go over before the petition is filed with the court. This is crucial considering the supreme court has limited prisoners to only one writ of habeas corpus, which means it has to raise all the issues the petitioner wants raised the first time. The book is well organized and easy to use, highly recommended. The book is available from: Clark, Boardman, Callagharm, 155 Pfinsten Rd. Deerfield, IL. 60015-4998, Phone (708) 948-7000, and the price is $89.00.

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