SYLLABUS

(This syllabus is not part of the opinion of the Court. It has been prepared by the Office of the Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the Supreme Court. Please note that, in the interests of brevity, portions of any opinion may not have been summarized).

State v. James J. Mauti (A-48-10) (067006)

Argued October 11, 2011 -- Decided January 23, 2012

LONG, J., writing for a unanimous Court.

The Court considers whether the privilege that bars the spouse of an accused from testifying in the criminal action can be pierced by application of the three-part test set forth in In re Kozlov, 79 N.J. 232 (1979).