Court: Spousal privilege does not apply to civil unions

A trial court in Kentucky has ruled that the spousal privilege, where one spouse may refuse to testify about things that occur during the marriage, does not apply to couples in a civil union.  The parties involved in the case were joined in a civil union – not a marriage – in Vermont.  Vermont recognizes so-called same-sex marriage but parties joined in a civil union must take specific steps to convert that union into a “marriage.”  The case is a murder trial in which one partner is being asked to repeat statements by the other partner admitting to the killing.