Little v. Streater

425 U.S. 1 (1981)

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Nature of the Case

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Facts

Streater (W) gave birth to a female child. W identified Walter (M) as the child's father stemming from her request for public assistance. An attorney was appointed to W to take suit against M to establish his liability for the child's support. M was incarcerated at that time and through counsel provided by legal aid, he moved the court to order blood-grouping tests. The statute required M to pay, but M claimed he was indigent and asked the State to pay for the tests. The state granted the request for tests but refused to pay for them. The court found that M was the father of the child without the benefit of the blood tests. M appealed arguing that his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process was violated.