LAW PROTECTS SPOUSES WHO FIGHT BACK.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: MICHAEL J. MARTINEZ Associated Press

ALBANY -- Spouses or partners who forcibly fight back against their abusers in domestic violence situations would themselves be protected from arrest, under a bill signed Tuesday by Gov. George Pataki.

At a ceremony in Westchester County, Pataki said the bill would require police to arrest only the primary aggressor in domestic violence cases, even if both parties inflicted physical harm on each other.

Previously, police responding to a domestic violence call would have to arrest both parties for misdemeanor assault if both showed signs of injury, Pataki spokesman Patrick McCarthy said.

Under the …