Montana § 26-1-802 Spousal Privilege

Montana Statutes

§ 26-1-802 — Spousal Privilege

Montana § 26-1-802

Title 26EVIDENCE

Ch. 1STATUTORY PROVISIONS ON EVIDENCE

Part 8Privileges

This text of Montana § 26-1-802 (Spousal Privilege) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

Mont. Code Ann. § 26-1-802 (2026).

Text

26-1-802 . Spousal privilege.

(1)A spouse may not, without the consent of the other spouse, testify during or after the marriage concerning any communication made by one to the other during their marriage.

(2)A judicial, legislative, administrative, or other governmental body may not request or require the disclosure of an electronic communication made by one spouse to the other during their marriage from a spouse or an electronic communication service used by the spouse.

(3)A spouse or an electronic communication service used by the spouse may not be adjudged in contempt by a judicial, legislative, administrative, or other body having the power to issue subpoenas for refusing to disclose or produce electronic communications made by one spouse to the other during their marriage.

(4)The

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

26-1-802 . Spousal privilege. (1) A spouse may not, without the consent of the other spouse, testify during or after the marriage concerning any communication made by one to the other during their marriage.
(2) A judicial, legislative, administrative, or other governmental body may not request or require the disclosure of an electronic communication made by one spouse to the other during their marriage from a spouse or an electronic communication service used by the spouse.
(3) A spouse or an electronic communication service used by the spouse may not be adjudged in contempt by a judicial, legislative, administrative, or other body having the power to issue subpoenas for refusing to disclose or produce electronic communications made by one spouse to the other during their marriage.
(4) The privilege under subsections (1) through (3):
(a) is restricted to communications made during the existence of the marriage relationship and does not extend to communications made prior to the marriage or to communications made after the marriage is dissolved; and
(b) does not apply to a civil action or proceeding by one spouse against the other or to a criminal action or proceeding for a crime committed by one spouse against the other or against a child of either spouse.
(5) For the purposes of this section, "electronic communication" and "electronic communication service" have the meanings provided in 46-5-601 . The terms do not include communications transmitted by the state telecommunications network provided for in 2-17-506 .

Legislative History

En. Secs. 373-377, pp. 210, 211, L. 1867; re-en. Secs. 447-451, p. 125, Cod. Stat. 1871; en. Secs. 629, 630, pp. 203, 204, L. 1877; re-en. Secs. 629, 630, 1st Div. Rev. Stat. 1879; re-en. Secs. 650, 651, 1st Div. Comp. Stat. 1887; re-en. Sec. 3163, C. Civ. Proc. 1895; re-en. Sec. 7892, Rev. C. 1907; re-en. Sec. 10536, R.C.M. 1921; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 83, L. 1925; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 130, L. 1931; re-en. Sec. 10536, R.C.M. 1935; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 61, L. 1971; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 318, L. 1973; amd. Sec. 15, Ch. 543, L. 1975; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 225, L. 1977; R.C.M. 1947, 93-701-4(1); amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 158, L. 2005; amd. Sec. 1, Ch. 446, L. 2023; amd. Sec. 19, Ch. 53, L. 2025.