En la línea apuntada por la mayoría de la doctrina, la STS de 14.9.2009 considera que desde la entrada en vigor de la Constitución española (1978) debía entenderse derogada la regla de propagación a la esposa de la vecindad civil del marido prevista en el art. 14.4 CCe [redacción de 1974]; ello supone que desde entonces la mujer casada pudo cambiar autónomamente de vecindad civil. Partiendo de ello, en el caso enjuiciado, la mujer cambió de vecindad civil por residencia continuada en Cataluña durante más de diez años sin declaración en contrario (art. 14.3.2.º CCe [1974] y 14.5.2.º CCe [1990]), vecindad civil catalana que mantenía en el momento de su fallecimiento, pese a haber realizado distintas manifestaciones ­que resultan ineficaces­ en el sentido de ostentar o de querer conservar la vecindad civil navarra.

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Principle of family unity and change of “vecindad civil” by residence. Comment on the Supreme Court Decision 588/2009, of 14th September

On the lines put forward by the majority of doctrine, the Supreme Court Decision of 14.09.2009 considers that, since the entry into force of the Spanish Constitution in 1978, the rule according to which the wife acquired her husband’s “vecindad civil” –a category that operates in lieu of nationality to determine which one of the different legislations that coexist within Spain should be applied– as provided in art. 14.4 of the Spanish Civil Code [1974] should be deemed repealed. Thus, since 1978, a married woman can change her “vecindad civil” regardless of her husband’s. On this basis, in the present case the woman changed “vecindad civil” by continuous residence in Catalonia for more than ten years without having stated the contrary (art. 14.3.2 Spanish Civil Code [1974] and 14.5.2 Spanish Civil Code [1990]), and she maintained such Catalan “vecindad civil” until the moment of her death, despite having stated several times –to no effect– that she had or wished to maintain the “vecindad civil” of Navarra.