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voir dire (vwahr DIR)
"To speak the truth."

Interrogation process whereby prospective jurors are questioned by either the judge or by the prosecution or defense attorneys to determine their biases and prejudices.

Voir dire is the crucial process through which attorneys attempt to uncover prospective juror biases, which might prevent certain jurors from providing defendants with a fair and impartial trial.

Some people have argued that while voir dire has frequently been called "jury selection", this term really is inappropriate because those who sit on a jury are not selected as much as they are eliminated when they are determined to be unsuitable.

This entry is located in the following unit: Criminal Court Words or Judicial Terms + (page 7)