---
title: O.C.G.A. § 24-5-503. Husband and wife as witnesses for and against each other in criminal proceedings.
collection: code
id: 24-5-503
cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 24-5-503 (2025)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-5-503
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-5-503.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/24-5-503/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t24-ch1-7-(v20)-2023-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=27d520aa_0#page=377
date: 2025
status: active
corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68
license: CC0-1.0
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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version: the only printed version
in_force: true
current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly
heading_path: EVIDENCE / PRIVILEGES
---

# O.C.G.A. § 24-5-503. Husband and wife as witnesses for and against each other in criminal proceedings.

(a) A husband and wife shall be competent but shall not be compellable to give evidence in any criminal proceeding for or against each other.

(b) The privilege created by subsection (a) of this Code section or by corresponding privileges in paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of Code Section 24-5-501 or subsection (a) of Code Section 24-5-505 shall not apply in proceedings in which:

(1) The husband or wife is charged with a crime against the person of a child under the age of 18, but such husband or wife shall be compellable to give evidence only on the specific act for which the accused is charged;

(2) The husband or wife is charged with a crime against his or her spouse;

(3) The husband or wife is charged with causing physical damage to property belonging to the husband and wife or to their separate property; or

(4) The alleged crime against his or her current spouse occurred prior to the lawful marriage of the husband and wife.

## History

Code 1981, § 24-5-503, enacted by Ga. L. 2011, p. 99, § 2/HB 24; Ga. L. 2012, p. 105, § 1/HB 711.

## Cross References

Competency of wife to testify against husband in proceeding against husband for abandonment of wife, § 19-10-2.

## Law Reviews

For note, “Circling the Wagons: Infor-mational Privacy and Family Testimonial Privileges,” see 20 Ga. L. Rev. 173 (1985).

For article, “The Marital Privileges in Georgia: What You Should Know,” see 6 Ga. St. B.J. 8 (2001).

For article on the 2012 amendment of this Code section, see 29 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 204 (2012).

For note, “Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Laws in Georgia: Strengthening Protection for Georgia’s Children,” see 31 Ga. St. U.L. Rev. 643 (2015).