1861President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus. In response to the arrest of Maryland secessionist John Merryman by Union troops, Lincoln refused to grant habeas corpus. U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger B. Taney defied Lincoln’s order and issued a writ of habeas corpus demanding that the military bring Merryman before the Supreme Court. When Lincoln and the military refused to honor the writ, Taney declared Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus unconstitutional. Lincoln and the military …