Legal News - Md. court considering same-sex spousal privilege

Legal News Journal

Legal News Home page Click here to add this website to your favorites
  rss
Bar News Search >>>
Md. court considering same-sex spousal privilege

•  Legal Business     updated  2011/04/25 07:25

A court in Hagerstown is poised to consider whether a woman who legally married her lesbian partner in another jurisdiction can assert the spousal privilege of refusing to testify against her in Maryland, where same-sex marriage isn't allowed.

Lawyers are set to argue their positions Monday during a hearing in a 2010 assault case

Washington County prosecutors want the judge to compel Sharron Saleem to testify about her statement to police that Deborah Snowden pushed her and threatened her with a knife.

A brief filed by Snowden's public defender cites a 2010 opinion by Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler that out-of-state, same-sex marriages may be recognized under Maryland law. But Gansler's opinion didn't directly address the question of spousal privilege.



Breaking Legal News  |  Headline News  |  Law Center  |  Legal Business  |  Court News  |  Law Firm News  |  Legal Interviews |  Political and Legal
Practice Focuses  |  Legal Spotlight  |  Events & Seminars  |  Legal Marketing  |  Court Watch  |  Immigration  |  Press Releases
International  |  Politics  |  Justice Stories  |  Web Design for Law Firms  |  Celebrity Courthouse
Lawyer Website Design For Sole Practitioners
© The Legal News Journal. All rights reserved.