Common law refers to judge-made law or case law. Case law is one form of law that exists in federal and state jurisdictions. Statutes, enacted by legislatures, are another form of law. A state legislature has the authority to pass statutes which, when they go into effect, will be the overriding authority in the state on a particular subject. When this happens, the pre-existing common law is invalid and is no longer in effect in the state; the statute has replaced it.
These are old cases where a writ of habeas corpus was used for child custody in New Hampshire.
Below is a federal court opinion discussing the use of habeas corpus in child custody matters.
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