Daniel Smalls v. South Carolina Department of Social Services, et al.
DueProcess
Whether the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause permits a state court to assert jurisdiction and impose child support obligations on a nonresident absent personal service of process, and whether due process is violated when a state court lacking jurisdiction establishes paternity based solely on uncorroborated testimony
1. Whether the Fourteenth Amendment ’s Due Process Clause permits a state court to assert jurisdiction and impose child support obligations on a nonresident absent personal service of process. 2. Whether due process is violated when a state court lacking jurisdiction establishes paternity and imposes lifelong parental obligations based solely on uncorroborated testimony and an adverse inference from refusal to submit to DNA testing, in conflict with other state courts requiring competent evidence of parentage. 3. Whether removal of a litigant from the courtroom while raising jurisdictional objections violates the constitutional right to be heard and constitutes structural error requiring reversal.