Li v The Queen

In the case of Li v The Queen, the applicant, Li, sought special leave to appeal against a decision of the Court of Criminal Appeal of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which had dismissed his application for leave to appeal his conviction for one count of supplying a large commercial quantity of a prohibited drug, and two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon. Gleeson JA, along with Johnson and Fagan JJ, had agreed with the dismissal of the application for leave to appeal. The legal issues before the court were whether there was a question of principle that would be in the interests of justice for the High Court to consider, and whether there was any reason to doubt the correctness of the Court of Criminal Appeal's judgment.

The court found that the applicant had not identified any question of principle that would warrant the High Court's consideration. Furthermore, there was no reason to doubt the correctness of the Court of Criminal Appeal's judgment. The court held that the appeal was not in the interests of justice and dismissed the application for special leave. The court also directed the Registrar to draw up, sign and seal an order dismissing the application.

This case highlights the importance of identifying a question of principle that would warrant the High Court's consideration when seeking special leave to appeal. The court's decision in this case also underscores the importance of the correctness of the Court of Criminal Appeal's judgment. In this case, the court found no reason to doubt the correctness of the Court of Criminal Appeal's judgment and dismissed the application for special leave. The final orders were to dismiss the application and direct the Registrar to draw up, sign and seal an order dismissing the application.