Paternity Case Law

In Rivera v. Minnich, 483 U.S. 574 (1987), the Supreme Court held that a paternity statute that provided proof by a preponderance of evidence did not violate the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. It concluded that the clear and convincing standard of proof for terminating a parent-child relationship established in Santosky v. Kramer, 455 U.S. 745 (1982), was not applicable.

In Little v. Streater, 452 U.S. 1 (1981), the Court held that due process requires that an indigent defendant involved in paternity matters be entitled to blood testing at state expense to establish or disprove paternity.