Md. court considering same-sex spousal privilege
Headline Legal News
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.
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Texas Adopts Statewide Texting-While-Driving Ban
Effective September 1, 2017, Texas will become the 47th state to pass a statewide ban on texting while driving. Governor Abbott’s signing of House Bill 62 is an effort to unify Texas under a uniform ban and remedy the “patchwork quilt of regulations that dictate driving practices in Texas.”
The bill specifically prohibits drivers from reading, writing, or sending an electronic message on a device unless the vehicle is stopped. That includes texting and emailing. It does not, however, prohibit dialing a number to call someone, talking on the phone using a hands-free device, or using the phone’s GPS system.
Violations would be punishable by a fine ranging from $25 to $99, to be set by each municipality. Although penalties could rise to as much as $200 for repeat offenders.
Studies have found that a driver’s reaction time is half as much when a driver is distracted by sending or reading a text message. According to state officials, in 2015 more than 105,000 traffic accidents in Texas involved distracted driving, leading to at least 476 fatalities.