how are writs used in american law 
initially the american government adopted the writ system it inherited from the british in 1798 congress passed the all writs act which authorized the united states federal courts to issue all writs necessary or appropriate in aid of their respective jurisdictions and agreeable to the usages and principles of law 5 a 1938 supreme court ruling greatly curtailed the widespread use of writs in civil cases though courts today may still use writs to issue injunctions 6 note also that the writ of habeas corpus usually used to test the legality of a prisoner s detention continues to exist 