Habeas Corpus

I studied Latin but I would not know how to translate "habeas corpus" into English.  I read that a usual translation is "You must have the body."  The words habeas corpus are used to name a type of legal document.  I understand that the document is a legal writ that requires the government to produce the body of a person, whether or not that person is alive. It is a document used in an investigation as to how and why a particular person has been detained by the government. 

I recently got into some computer trouble.  My bank's technical person let me know that to get back to my state of normal, it would be best if I drove to my bank and presented myself.  I did and he had seen me before but he still asked to see my driver's license.  I felt as though I was enacting the requirements of a writ of habeas corpus.