A couple, neither of whom were citizens of Fiji, wished to adopt a child. The Constitution of Fiji contained a residency requirement for those wishing to adopt, and the couple had not satisfied it. Nevertheless, the couple cited the CRC, CPCC, and South Australian Adoption Act 1988 in court in an attempt to adopt regardless. They argued that, regardless of what the Constitution said, the best interests of the child were at stake, and would best be served by an adoption. If the courts allowed this argument, it would mean a direct overruling of the Constitution by an international human rights norm.

The High Court of Fiji rejected the argument. The Court said that although it should consider the best interests of the child, its job was to apply the law and not to amend it. Moreover, the Court said, there was no factual determination of what would be in the best interests of the child at issue (there was no home study report on the prospective parents).

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