spousal privilege
Wedded witness immunity
Spousal privilege is a legal protection allowing married couples to refuse to testify against each other in court.
Two forms exist: testimonial privilege lets a spouse decline to testify against their partner in criminal proceedings; communications privilege protects confidential statements made between spouses during marriage.
She invoked spousal privilege and refused to answer questions about her husband's activities.
- sworn testimonyOath-bound legal statement
- privacy rightsEntitlement to personal seclusion
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
- marriageFormal union between partners
- statutory lawLegislature-made legal rules
husband and wife · domestic relations · family dynamics · precedent · cohabitation · immunity · subpoena · legal loophole · legal reform · trust · confidentiality agreements · constitutional protections · courtroom drama · crime show · self-incrimination · intimacy · discretion · loyalty
- secrecysecrecy, secret, secrets, confidential, classified
- legal rightslegal rights, constitutional rights, fundamental rights, Miranda rights, Bill of Rights
- legal defensesself-defense, alibi, affirmative defense, insanity defense, insanity
- legal privilegeswork product, Fifth Amendment, judicial immunity, diplomatic immunity
- accessaccess, authorization, credentials, exclusive access, insider access
- evidenceevidence, evidence bag, circumstantial evidence, proof, admissible
spousal, spouse, spouses, espouse, espoused, espouses, espousing, espousal, privilege