William O. Douglas,
Ahrens v. Clark — Opinion of the Court
“ Thus the view that the jurisdiction of the District Court to issue the writ in cases such as this [4] is restricted to those petitioners who are confined or detained within the territorial jurisdiction of the court is supported by the language of the statute, by considerations of policy, and by the legislative history of the enactment. We therefore do not feel free to weigh the policy considerations which are advanced for giving district courts discretion in cases like this. ”
