Lineal Descendants

Lineal descendants are the direct descendants of a person in a straight line of descent, including children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so forth. They are also commonly referred to as "issue" in legal contexts.

Key points about lineal descendants:

• They represent a person's direct bloodline descendants.
• The term is often used in inheritance and estate law, where lineal descendants are prioritized in the distribution of an estate, especially when a person dies intestate (without a will).
• Both biological and legally adopted children are generally considered lineal descendants, with most states treating them equally for inheritance purposes, although there are some exceptions regarding adopted children who have been adopted by unrelated adults.
• Lineal descendants differ from lineal ascendants (ancestors like parents and grandparents) and collateral descendants (relatives descended from siblings of ancestors, such as cousins, nieces, and nephews).

In summary, lineal descendants are a person's children, grandchildren, and further direct descendants, forming a direct line of descent important in legal matters such as inheritance and tribal enrollment.