Title 42, JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE

Every court of record shall have power in any civil or criminal matter to issue subpoenas to testify, with or without a clause of duces tecum, into any county of this Commonwealth to witnesses to appear before the court or any appointive judicial officer. Subpoenas shall be in th…

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, all persons shall be fully competent witnesses in any criminal proceeding before any tribunal.

No person shall be deemed incompetent or otherwise disqualified as a witness in any criminal proceeding by reason of the person's having been convicted of perjury or subornation of or solicitation to commit perjury, but such conviction may be shown for the purpose of affecting th…

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, in a criminal proceeding a person shall have the privilege, which he or she may waive, not to testify against his or her then lawful spouse except that there shall be no such privilege: (1) in proceedings for desertion and maintena…

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, in a criminal proceeding neither husband nor wife shall be competent or permitted to testify to confidential communications made by one to the other, unless this privilege is waived upon the trial. (Apr. 28, 1978, P.L.202, No.53, e…

In any criminal proceeding brought against the husband or wife, if the defendant makes defense at the trial upon any ground which attacks the character or conduct of his or her spouse, the spouse attacked shall be a competent witness in rebuttal for the Commonwealth.

In a criminal proceeding counsel shall not be competent or permitted to testify to confidential communications made to him by his client, nor shall the client be compelled to disclose the same, unless in either case this privilege is waived upon the trial by the client. Cross Ref…

Whenever any person has been examined as a witness, either for the Commonwealth or for the defense, in any criminal proceeding conducted in or before a court of record, and the defendant has been present and has had an opportunity to examine or cross-examine, if such witness afte…

No person charged with any crime and called as a witness in his own behalf, shall be asked, or if asked, shall be required to answer, any question tending to show that he has committed, or been charged with, or been convicted of any offense other than the one wherewith he shall t…

The testimony of witnesses taken in accordance with section 5325 (relating to when and how a deposition may be taken outside this Commonwealth) may be read in evidence upon the trial of any criminal matter unless it shall appear at the trial that the witness whose deposition has …

(a) Scope.--This section applies to all of the following: (1) A criminal proceeding for any crime listed under Subchapter H (relating to registration of sexual offenders) or I (relating to continued registration of sexual offenders) of Chapter 97. (2) A criminal proceeding for an…

In any civil matter before any tribunal of this Commonwealth, or conducted by virtue of its order or direction, no liability merely for costs nor the right to compensation possessed by an executor, administrator or other trustee, nor any interest merely in the question on trial, …

In a civil matter, a person who has been convicted in a court of this Commonwealth of perjury, which term is hereby declared to include subornation of or solicitation to commit perjury, shall not be a competent witness for any purpose, although his sentence may have been fully co…

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, in a civil matter neither husband nor wife shall be competent or permitted to testify to confidential communications made by one to the other, unless this privilege is waived upon the trial. (Apr. 28, 1978, P.L.202, No.53, eff. 60 …

(a) General rule.--In a civil matter neither husband nor wife shall be competent or permitted to testify against each other. (b) Exception.--Subsection (a) shall not apply in an action or proceeding: (1) For divorce, including ancillary proceedings for the partition or division o…

In any civil action brought against a married person, if the defendant makes defense at the trial upon any ground which attacks the character or conduct of the spouse, the spouse shall be a competent witness in rebuttal for the plaintiff. (Oct. 4, 1978, P.L.909, No.173, eff. 60 d…

In all civil actions brought by either the husband or wife, either the husband or the wife shall be a competent witness in rebuttal, when his or her character or conduct is attacked upon the trial thereof, but only in regard to the matter of his or her character or conduct.

In any action brought by either the husband or wife to protect and recover the separate property of either, both shall be fully competent witnesses, except that neither may testify to confidential communications made by one or the other, unless this privilege is waived upon the t…

In a civil matter counsel shall not be competent or permitted to testify to confidential communications made to him by his client, nor shall the client be compelled to disclose the same, unless in either case this privilege is waived upon the trial by the client. Cross References…

No physician shall be allowed, in any civil matter, to disclose any information which he acquired in attending the patient in a professional capacity, and which was necessary to enable him to act in that capacity, which shall tend to blacken the character of the patient, without …

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, in any civil action or proceeding, where any party to a thing or contract in action is dead, or has been adjudged a lunatic and his right thereto or therein has passed, either by his own act or by the act of the law, to a party on …

No person who is incompetent under section 5922 (relating to disqualification by perjury), section 5923 (relating to confidential communications between spouses), section 5924 (relating to spouses as witnesses against each other) and section 5928 (relating to confidential communi…

Any person who is incompetent under section 5930 (relating to surviving party as witness, in case of death, mental incapacity, etc.) by reason of interest may nevertheless be called to testify against his own interest, and in that event he shall become a fully competent witness f…

(a) General rule.--In any civil action or proceeding before any tribunal of this Commonwealth, or conducted by virtue of its order or direction, although a party to the thing or contract in action may be dead or may have been adjudged a lunatic, and his right thereto or therein m…

Whenever any person has been examined as a witness in any civil matter before any tribunal of this Commonwealth or conducted by virtue of its order or direction, if such witness afterwards dies, or is out of the jurisdiction so that he cannot be effectively served with a subpoena…

In any civil action or proceeding, whether or not it is brought or defended by a person representing the interests of a deceased or lunatic assignor of any thing or contract in action, a party to the record, or a person for whose immediate benefit such proceeding is prosecuted or…

(a) General rule.--The testimony of any physician licensed to practice medicine may be taken by oral interrogation in the manner prescribed by general rule for the taking of depositions. (b) Admissibility.--A deposition taken under subsection (a) shall be admissible in a civil ma…

(a) General rule.--Except defendants actually upon trial in a criminal proceeding, any competent witness may be compelled to testify in any matter, civil or criminal; but he may not be compelled to answer any question which, in the opinion of the trial judge, would tend to incrim…

(a) General rule.--No person engaged on, connected with, or employed by any newspaper of general circulation or any press association or any radio or television station, or any magazine of general circulation, for the purpose of gathering, procuring, compiling, editing or publish…

No clergyman, priest, rabbi or minister of the gospel of any regularly established church or religious organization, except clergymen or ministers, who are self-ordained or who are members of religious organizations in which members other than the leader thereof are deemed clergy…

No psychiatrist or person who has been licensed under the act of March 23, 1972 (P.L.136, No.52), to practice psychology shall be, without the written consent of his client, examined in any civil or criminal matter as to any information acquired in the course of his professional …

(a) General rule.--No guidance counselor, school nurse, school psychologist, or home and school visitor in the public schools or in private or parochial schools or other educational institutions providing elementary or secondary education, including any clerical worker of such sc…

(a) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection: "Confidential communication." All information, oral or written, transmitted between a victim of sexual assault and a sexual assault counselor in th…

(a) General rule.--No person engaged in, connected with or employed by any crime stopper or similar anticrime program shall be required in any manner to disclose the source of any information received, procured or obtained by such person or crime stopper or similar anticrime prog…

(a) Sexual assault counselors.--An individual qualified as a sexual assault counselor under section 5945.1(a) (relating to confidential communications with sexual assault counselors) may serve as a human trafficking counselor under this section. (b) Privilege.-- (1) This subsecti…

A person shall not be excluded from being a witness in any action or proceeding in which a political subdivision is a party or is interested because such person is or was an officer, rated citizen or inhabitant in such political subdivision or owns assessed or taxable property or…

(a) General rule.--Immunity orders shall be available under this section in all proceedings before: (1) Courts. (2) Grand juries. (3) Investigating grand juries. (4) The minor judiciary or coroners. (b) Request and issuance.--The Attorney General or a district attorney may reques…

Communications of a confidential character made by a spouse to a qualified professional as defined in 23 Pa.C.S. § 3103 (relating to definitions) shall be privileged and inadmissible in evidence in any matter under 23 Pa.C.S. Pt. IV (relating to divorce) or VI (relating to childr…

(a) General rule.--Except as provided in subsection (b), all mediation communications and mediation documents are privileged. Disclosure of mediation communications and mediation documents may not be required or compelled through discovery or any other process. Mediation communic…

(a) Disclosure.--Except as provided under subsection (c), a critical incident stress management team member who, while in the course of duty, has acquired information from any law enforcement officer in confidence may not be compelled or allowed without the consent of the law enf…

(a) Disclosure.--Except as provided under subsection (c), a critical incident stress management team member who, while in the course of duty, has acquired information from any public safety responder or corrections officer in confidence may not be compelled or allowed without the…

(a) Disclosure.--Except as provided under subsection (c), a peer support member who, while in the course of duty, has acquired information from a law enforcement officer in confidence may not be compelled or allowed without the consent of the law enforcement officer to disclose t…

This subchapter shall be known and may be cited as the "Uniform Act to Secure the Attendance of Witnesses from Within or Without a State in Criminal Proceedings."

The following words and phrases when used in this subchapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in this section: "Summons." Includes a subpoena, order or other notice requiring the appearance of a witness. "Witness." Includes a …

(a) General rule.--If a judge of a court of record in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding persons within that state to attend and testify in this Commonwealth certifies under the seal of such court that there is a criminal prosecution pending in such cou…

(a) General rule.--If a person in any state which by its laws has made provision for commanding persons within its borders to attend and testify in criminal prosecutions or grand jury investigations commenced or about to commence in this Commonwealth is a material witness in a pr…