In Armstrong v. Lear, Administrator (with the Will Annexed) of Kosciuszko, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a will written in Poland by Thaddeus Kosciuszko could be admitted into evidence in an American court. The plaintiff argued that it should not because it had been executed abroad and did not comply with certain formalities required under American law for wills made within the United States. The defendant countered that since there were no such requirements at the time when Kosciuszko wrote his will, he should be allowed to present it as evidence regardless of where or how it was created. After considering both sides’ arguments, the Court ultimately ruled in favor of admitting foreign wills into evidence if they are valid according to their own country's laws and customs at the time they were written. This decision established a precedent for courts across America allowing foreign documents like wills and contracts to be used as legal proof even if they do not meet all domestic standards for validity

In Armstrong v. Lear, the Supreme Court was asked to decide whether a will that had been written in Poland and translated into English should be admitted as evidence in an American court of law. The majority opinion held that it could not be admitted because there were no laws or precedents allowing for its admission, but Justice Story dissented from this ruling. He argued that since the will had already been accepted by Polish courts and was legally binding under their laws, it should also be recognized as valid under U.S. law due to principles of comity between nations - even though there were no specific statutes or case law governing such matters at the time in America. Furthermore, he noted that admitting foreign wills would help promote international commerce and understanding between countries while protecting citizens who may have assets abroad from being defrauded out of them if they are unable to travel back home to settle any disputes over those assets themselves