voir dire

American  

[vwahr deer, vwar deer] / ˈvwɑr ˈdɪər, vwar ˈdir /

noun

Law.

1. an oath administered to a proposed witness or juror by which they are sworn to speak the truth in an examination to ascertain their competence to serve.

2. the examination of a proposed witness or juror to ascertain their competence to serve.

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voir dire British  

/ vwɑː ˈdɪə /

noun

1. the preliminary examination on oath of a proposed witness by the judge

2. the oath administered to such a witness

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Etymology

Origin of voir dire

First recorded in 1670–80; from Anglo-French, equivalent to Old French voir “true, truly” + dire “to say”

Example Sentences

Lawyers typically do not pose such whimsical questions during voir dire - the process by which potential jurors are screened - but then, the man who submitted it isn't a lawyer.

From BBC

Judge Sermons also considered documents from the trial court, “affidavits of prosecutors, voir dire transcripts and jury selection notes from the files of prosecutors around the state.”

From Slate

If there's actual evidence that they lied during the voir dire process of jury selection, that could be grounds for a motion to strike the juror.

From Salon

Here’s what we learned about the latest jurors to be added, and their views of the former president, after their responses to the 42-part questionnaire and about an hour of voir dire.

From Slate

During voir dire, he responded that he doesn’t really pay attention to politics.

From Slate