# Why an 800-year-old legal tool is under scrutiny in immigration law

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/why-an-800-year-old-legal-tool-is-under-scrutiny-in-immigration-law
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576/why-an-800-year-old-legal-tool-is-under-scrutiny-in-immigration-law.md
Podcast: [River to River](https://stenobird.com/podcast/river-to-river-1060576)
Published: 2026-06-02T12:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2026-06-02/why-an-800-year-old-legal-tool-is-under-scrutiny-in-immigration-law
Audio file: https://traffic.omny.fm/d/clips/4c9587f2-e550-4709-b293-ad0300ce922d/5d200c83-8a20-48a7-ab87-ad51012cafbe/6cf05b98-dc4d-4ef3-9b58-b45c013760ef/audio.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/river-to-river-1060576/episodes/why-an-800-year-old-legal-tool-is-under-scrutiny-in-immigration-law
Duration seconds: 2882

## Resource

Habeas corpus is at the center of a constitutional fight over immigration detention playing out in courtrooms across the Midwest, including here in Iowa. An analysis by The Marshall Project and The Midwest Newsroom found that habeas corpus filings in four Midwestern states have been overwhelmingly successful thus far, but the legal landscape is changing. We hear from the reporters involved in the recent investigation and from a law professor about what comes next. Then, researchers hope to expand water testing capabilities with a drone that carries its own water-testing lab.

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## Transcript

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