

You may be thinking of Lincoln suspending the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War?
Constitution, Article 1, Section 9, Clause 2:
The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.
Lincoln signed off on a law saying that the President could suspend the right under the same conditions.
Don’t remember when I learned that but I was a kid, 80s or so.