The appellant, a federal inmate, was placed in a special handling unit after being charged with the murder of a fellow inmate.
Despite his subsequent acquittal, he remained in segregation and his request to transfer to a medium-security institution was denied.
He applied to the provincial superior court for a writ of habeas corpus.
The lower courts dismissed the application, holding that the Federal Court had exclusive jurisdiction over the matter.
The Supreme Court of Canada allowed the appeal, ruling that provincial superior courts have jurisdiction to issue habeas corpus to determine the validity of a distinct form of confinement in a federal penitentiary, notwithstanding the Federal Court's concurrent certiorari jurisdiction.