voir dire

[vwahr deer, vwar deer]

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.

voir dire

/ vwɑː ˈdɪə /

noun

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

2. the oath administered to such a witness

Word History and Origins

Origin of voir dire¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of voir dire¹

C17: from Old French: to speak the truth

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

Juror Number Five is the one who, during Voir Dire questioning, said she admired that Trump “speaks his mind,” saying, “you’d rather that than the alternative.”

From Slate

I felt a bit like I was one of the jurors who figured out how to get through enough of the process to still be invited to court, and allowed the opportunity to insult Trump to his face, as several did in response to being asked their opinions of him during voir dire.

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