what does it mean that a prisoner's petition to the court has standing
Habeas corpus
In 1430 , King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland granted the Privilege of Jedlnia , which proclaimed , Neminem captivabimus nisi iure victum ( `` We will not imprison anyone except if convicted by law '' ) . This revolutionary innovation in civil libertarianism gave Polish citizens due process - style rights that did not exist in any other European country for another 250 years . Originally , the Privilege of Jedlnia was restricted to the nobility ( the szlachta ) , but it was extended to cover townsmen in the 1791 Constitution . Importantly , social classifications in the Polish -- Lithuanian Commonwealth were not as rigid as in other European countries ; townspeople and Jews were sometimes ennobled . The Privilege of Jedlnia provided broader coverage than many subsequently enacted habeas corpus laws because Poland 's nobility constituted an unusually large percentage of the country 's total population , which was Europe 's largest . As a result , by the 16th century , it was protecting the liberty of between five hundred thousand and a million Poles .
In 1430 , King Władysław II Jagiełło of Poland granted the Privilege of Jedlnia , which proclaimed , Neminem captivabimus nisi iure victum ( `` We will not imprison anyone except if convicted by law '' ) . This revolutionary innovation in civil libertarianism gave Polish citizens due process - style rights that did not exist in any other European country for another 250 years . Originally , the Privilege of Jedlnia was restricted to the nobility ( the szlachta ) , but it was extended to cover townsmen in the 1791 Constitution . Importantly , social classifications in the Polish -- Lithuanian Commonwealth were not as rigid as in other European countries ; townspeople and Jews were sometimes ennobled . The Privilege of Jedlnia provided broader coverage than many subsequently enacted habeas corpus laws because Poland 's nobility constituted an unusually large percentage of the country 's total population , which was Europe 's largest . As a result , by the 16th century , it was protecting the liberty of between five hundred thousand and a million Poles .