Spousal privilege
Definitions from Case Law · United States Supreme Court
Definitions from Case Law
From 38 U.S. 209 - John Stein v. William Bowman · 1839Most cited · 162 citing opinions
mutual incompetency
It is a general rule that neither a husband nor wife can be a witness for or against the other... This rule is founded upon the deepest and soundest principles of our nature. Principles which have grown out of those domestic relations, that constitute the basis of civil society; and which are essential to the enjoyment of that confidence which should subsist between those who are connected by the nearest and dearest relations of life. To break down or impair the great principles which protect the sanctities of husband and wife, would be to destroy the best solace of human existence.
How often courts cite the case defining “Spousal privilege”
Court decisions citing the opinion that defined “Spousal privilege” — 162 in all, by decade. Counts are citations to the defining case as a whole, not verified uses of the term. The dip in the most recent years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the latest years.