Electoral College Distribution Analogy
After Ivan Ivanov died intestate survived by three children, his estate passed in equal shares to each child's line. One child had predeceased leaving two grandchildren who split their parent's one-third share.
Also known as: inherit by representation · inherits by representation · inherited by representation · inheriting by representation · per stirpes · representation
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A method of distributing an intestate estate among a decedent's surviving descendants by which each line of descent receives an equal share.
After Ivan Ivanov died intestate survived by three children, his estate passed in equal shares to each child's line. One child had predeceased leaving two grandchildren who split their parent's one-third share.
Ira Irving died leaving descendants in two lines. One line contained a grandchild whose parent had died earlier. The estate divided so each line received half, with the grandchild taking the deceased parent's portion by representation.
Israel Irving's will left no surviving spouse. His two children had died before him. The estate therefore passed by representation to the four grandchildren, two from each child's line, giving each line an equal half.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Imani Idowu died intestate with no spouse but survived by descendants in three lines. The estate divided into three equal shares, one for each line, with further division among living members of any line whose head had predeceased.
Ivy Ibarra left an intestate estate survived by a spouse and descendants. After the spouse took the statutory share, the remainder passed by representation to the descendants so that each surviving child's line received an equal portion.
Isla Ireland died without a will or surviving spouse but left four grandchildren from two deceased children. The estate passed by representation, splitting into two equal shares for the two lines and then dividing each share between the two grandchildren in that line.
Inheritance by representation divides the estate into equal shares for each line of descent from the decedent. Each line receives the share its head would have taken if living, then subdivides among living members of that line.
Representation applies when a decedent is survived by descendants and any part of the estate does not pass to a surviving spouse. The balance then passes by representation to the surviving descendants.
The surviving spouse first receives the statutory share. Any remaining portion of the intestate estate then passes by representation to the decedent's surviving descendants.
That line receives nothing. The estate divides only among the lines that still have living descendants, each receiving an equal share of the whole.
…While there may be no unanimity on the physician's professional obligation in such circumstances, I accept here respondents' representation that providing such patients with prescriptions for drugs that go beyond pain relief to hasten death would, in these circumstances, be consistent with standards of medical practice. Hence,…