Also known as: mulierity · legitimacy · mulier status
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
The status of legitimacy for a child as opposed to the status of a bastard.
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Meredith Maxwell testifies in a probate dispute that her late aunt once stated her son Michael was born during a valid marriage. The court admits the statement under the hearsay exception for personal or family history even though the aunt lacked personal knowledge of the birth details. The admission establishes mulierty and allows Michael to inherit as a legitimate heir.
Melanie Morris offers a baptismal entry from her family's church showing her parents' marriage date and her own birth two years later. The record is admitted as a regularly kept religious document to prove the facts of marriage and birth. The entry confirms mulierty and resolves a challenge to her inheritance rights.
Maria Morales presents testimony from longtime neighbors that everyone in the local business community regarded her as the legitimate daughter of the deceased founder. The reputation evidence is admitted because it concerns ancestry and legitimacy within the relevant associate group. The testimony establishes mulierty and supports her claim to corporate shares.
Madison Meyers seeks to prove her child's mulierty to qualify for survivor benefits after the father's death. She relies on family reputation statements admitted under hearsay exceptions in a proceeding that also involves records of the relationship.
Melissa Mills challenges a university's denial of benefits tied to her child's mulierty. Community reputation evidence concerning the parents' marriage is offered to establish legitimacy and thereby qualify the child for the disputed funding program.
Michael Miller offers reputation testimony from associates to prove his child's mulierty in a dispute over parental rights. The evidence is admitted under family-history exceptions even though the underlying relationship involved private conduct.
Mulierty is the historical term for the condition of a legitimate child as opposed to a bastard. Modern usage focuses on the legal incidents of legitimacy rather than the label itself.
…has taken the drastic step of requiring every State to license and recognize marriages between same-sex couples. IV The legitimacy of this Court ultimately rests “upon the respect accorded to its judgments.” Republican Party of Minn. v. White , 536 U.S. 765, 793 (2002) (Kennedy, J., concurring). That respect flows…