{"formats":[{"name":"JSON","format":"json","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-json\/19.2-271.1.json"},{"name":"Plain Text","format":"text","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-text\/19.2-271.1.txt"},{"name":"XML","format":"xml","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-xml\/19.2-271.1.xml"},{"name":"HTML","format":"html","url":"\/downloads\/2026\/code-html\/19.2-271.1.html"}],"law_id":351553,"edition_id":2,"section_id":351553,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.1","catch_line":"Competency of spouses to testify","history":"Code 1950, \u00a7 8-287; 1977, c. 624; 2020, c. 900.","full_text":"Persons married to each other shall be competent witnesses to testify for or against each other in criminal cases, except as otherwise provided.\n\n","order_by":null,"text":{"0":{"id":1308786,"text":"Persons married to each other shall be competent witnesses to testify for or against each other in criminal cases, except as otherwise provided.","type":"section","prefixes":[""],"prefix":"","entire_prefix":"","prefix_anchor":"","level":1}},"ancestry":[{"id":50278,"edition_id":2,"name":"In General","identifier":"1","label":"article","depth":3,"order_by":1,"parent_id":50277,"metadata":{"child_laws":28,"child_structures":0},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:48","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:45","permalink":{"id":1396215,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50278,"identifier":"1","token":"19.2\/16\/1","url":"\/19.2\/16\/1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50277,"edition_id":2,"name":"Evidence and Witnesses","identifier":"16","label":"chapter","depth":2,"order_by":20,"parent_id":50226,"metadata":{"child_laws":39,"child_structures":2},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:48","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:44","permalink":{"id":1396213,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50277,"identifier":"16","token":"19.2\/16","url":"\/19.2\/16\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}},{"id":50226,"edition_id":2,"name":"Criminal Procedure","identifier":"19.2","label":"title","depth":1,"order_by":54,"parent_id":null,"metadata":{"child_laws":771,"child_structures":99},"date_created":"2026-08-02 02:25:04","date_modified":"2026-08-02 12:30:30","permalink":{"id":1395171,"object_type":"structure","relational_id":50226,"identifier":"19.2","token":"19.2","url":"\/19.2\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1}}],"structure_contents":[{"id":351534,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-267","catch_line":"Provisions applicable to witnesses in criminal as well as civil cases; obligation to attend; summons","url":"\/19.2-267\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-267","metadata":false},{"id":351532,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-267.1","catch_line":"Authority of law-enforcement officer to issue summons to witness; failure to appear","url":"\/19.2-267.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-267.1","metadata":false},{"id":351533,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-267.2","catch_line":"Response to subpoena for information stored in electronic format","url":"\/19.2-267.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-267.2","metadata":false},{"id":351538,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-268","catch_line":"Right of accused to testify","url":"\/19.2-268\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-268","metadata":false},{"id":351535,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-268.1","catch_line":"Contradiction by prior inconsistent writing (Subdivision (b)(i) of Supreme Court Rule 2:613 derived in part from this section)","url":"\/19.2-268.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-268.1","metadata":false},{"id":351536,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-268.2","catch_line":"Recent complaint hearsay exception (Subdivision (23) of Supreme Court Rule 2:803 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-268.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-268.2","metadata":false},{"id":351537,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-268.3","catch_line":"Admissibility of statements by children in certain cases","url":"\/19.2-268.3\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-268.3","metadata":false},{"id":351541,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-269","catch_line":"Convicts as witnesses (Supreme Court Rule 2:609 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-269\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-269","metadata":false},{"id":351539,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-269.1","catch_line":"Inmates as witnesses in criminal cases","url":"\/19.2-269.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-269.1","metadata":false},{"id":351540,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-269.2","catch_line":"Nondisclosure of addresses or telephone numbers of crime victims and witnesses","url":"\/19.2-269.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-269.2","metadata":false},{"id":351552,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270","catch_line":"When statement by accused as witness not received as evidence","url":"\/19.2-270\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270","metadata":false},{"id":351543,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.1","catch_line":"Use of photographs as evidence in certain larceny and burglary prosecutions","url":"\/19.2-270.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.1","metadata":false},{"id":351544,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.1:1","catch_line":"Computer and electronic data in obscenity, etc. cases; access to defendant","url":"\/19.2-270.1_1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.1_1","metadata":false},{"id":351545,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.2","catch_line":"Disposition of money, securities or documents seized upon arrest, etc., and pertinent as evidence","url":"\/19.2-270.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.2","metadata":false},{"id":351546,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.3","catch_line":"Admissible evidence as to identity of party presenting bad check, draft or order","url":"\/19.2-270.3\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.3","metadata":false},{"id":351547,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.4","catch_line":"When donation, destruction, or return of exhibits received in evidence authorized","url":"\/19.2-270.4\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.4","metadata":false},{"id":351548,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.4:1","catch_line":"Storage, preservation and retention of human biological evidence in felony cases","url":"\/19.2-270.4_1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.4_1","metadata":false},{"id":351549,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.5","catch_line":"DNA profile admissible in criminal proceeding","url":"\/19.2-270.5\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.5","metadata":false},{"id":351550,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.6","catch_line":"Evidence of abuse admissible in certain criminal trials (Supreme Court Rule 2:409 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-270.6\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.6","metadata":false},{"id":351551,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-270.7","catch_line":"Determining decibel level of sound with proper equipment; certificate as to accuracy of equipment","url":"\/19.2-270.7\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-270.7","metadata":false},{"id":351560,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271","catch_line":"Certain judicial officers incompetent to testify under certain circumstances; exceptions (Supreme Court Rule 2:605 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271","metadata":false},{"id":351553,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.1","catch_line":"Competency of spouses to testify","url":"\/19.2-271.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.1","metadata":false},{"id":351554,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.2","catch_line":"Testimony of spouses in criminal cases (Subsection (b) of Supreme Court Rule 2:504 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.2","metadata":false},{"id":351555,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.3","catch_line":"Communications between ministers of religion and persons they counsel or advise (Supreme Court Rule 2:503 derived in part from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271.3\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.3","metadata":false},{"id":351556,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.4","catch_line":"Privileged communications by certain public safety personnel","url":"\/19.2-271.4\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.4","metadata":false},{"id":351557,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.5","catch_line":"Protected information; newspersons engaged in journalism","url":"\/19.2-271.5\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.5","metadata":false},{"id":351558,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.6","catch_line":"Evidence of defendant's mental condition admissible; notice to Commonwealth","url":"\/19.2-271.6\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.6","metadata":false},{"id":351559,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.7","catch_line":"Notifying defendant of consequences criminal proceedings can have on immigration","url":"\/19.2-271.7\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.7","metadata":false}],"previous_section":{"id":351560,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271","catch_line":"Certain judicial officers incompetent to testify under certain circumstances; exceptions (Supreme Court Rule 2:605 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271","metadata":false},"next_section":{"id":351554,"structure_id":50278,"section_number":"19.2-271.2","catch_line":"Testimony of spouses in criminal cases (Subsection (b) of Supreme Court Rule 2:504 derived from this section)","url":"\/19.2-271.2\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.2","metadata":false},"metadata":false,"official_url":"https:\/\/law.lis.virginia.gov\/vacode\/19.2-271.1\/","history_text":"<p>The record of this law\u2019s original creation isn\u2019t available online. It has been modified 2 times. Those modifications are cataloged by \u201cThe Acts of Assembly,\u201d a state publication, by year and chapter. Those modifications that can be read on the General Assembly\u2019s website will be linked accordingly. Those modifications are as follows: in 1977, chapter 624; in 2020, chapter <a href=\"https:\/\/legacylis.virginia.gov\/cgi-bin\/legp604.exe?201+ful+CHAP0900\">900<\/a>.<\/p>","references":false,"refers_to":false,"permalink":{"id":1396301,"object_type":"law","relational_id":351553,"identifier":"19.2-271.1","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.1","url":"\/19.2-271.1\/","edition_id":2,"permalink":0,"preferred":1},"url":"\/19.2-271.1\/","token":"19.2\/16\/1\/19.2-271.1","dublin_core":{"Title":"Competency of spouses to testify","Type":"Text","Format":"text\/html","Identifier":"\u00a7 19.2-271.1","Relation":"Code of Virginia"},"html":"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section><p>Persons married to each other shall be competent witnesses to testify for or against each other in criminal cases, except as otherwise provided.<\/p><\/section>","plain_text":"                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA\n\nCOMPETENCY OF SPOUSES TO TESTIFY (\u00a7 19.2-271.1)\n\nPersons married to each other shall be competent witnesses to testify for or\nagainst each other in criminal cases, except as otherwise provided.\n\nHISTORY: Code 1950, \u00a7 8-287; 1977, c. 624; 2020, c. 900.","edition":{"id":2,"name":"2026","slug":"2026","date_created":"2026-07-16 18:40:23","date_modified":"2026-08-02 15:14:36","current":1,"order_by":2,"last_import":"2026-08-02 12:37:30"}}