District of Columbia § 14-309 Clergy.

District of Columbia Statutes

§ 14-309 — Clergy.

District of Columbia § 14-309

Title 14Proof. [Enacted title]

Ch. 3Competency of Witnesses.

This text of District of Columbia § 14-309 (Clergy.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District of Columbia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

D.C. Code § 14-309 (2026).

Text

A priest, clergyman, rabbi, or other duly licensed, ordained, or consecrated minister of a religion authorized to perform a marriage ceremony in the District of Columbia or duly accredited practitioner of Christian Science may not be examined in any civil or criminal proceedings in the Federal courts in the District of Columbia and District of Columbia courts with respect to any —

(1)confession, or communication, made to him, in his professional capacity in the course of discipline enjoined by the church or other religious body to which he belongs, without the consent of the person making the confession or communication; or

(2)communication made to him, in his professional capacity in the course of giving religious or spiritual advice, without the consent of the person seeking the advi

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A priest, clergyman, rabbi, or other duly licensed, ordained, or consecrated minister of a religion authorized to perform a marriage ceremony in the District of Columbia or duly accredited practitioner of Christian Science may not be examined in any civil or criminal proceedings in the Federal courts in the District of Columbia and District of Columbia courts with respect to any —

(1) confession, or communication, made to him, in his professional capacity in the course of discipline enjoined by the church or other religious body to which he belongs, without the consent of the person making the confession or communication; or

(2) communication made to him, in his professional capacity in the course of giving religious or spiritual advice, without the consent of the person seeking the advice; or

(A) communication made to him, in his professional capacity, by either spouse or domestic partner, in connection with an effort to reconcile estranged spouses or domestic partners, without the consent of the spouse or domestic partner making the communication.

(B) for the purposes of this paragraph, the term “domestic partner” shall have the same meaning as provided in § 32-701(3) .

Legislative History

Dec. 23, 1963, 77 Stat. 520, Pub. L. 88-241, § 1; July 29, 1970, 84 Stat. 553, Pub. L. 91-358, title I, § 143(4); Apr. 4, 2006, D.C. Law 16-79, § 2(c), 53 DCR 1035