voir dire

[ vwahr deer; French 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

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

The Donald Trump trial in New York began Monday with a lil’ voir dire action, as jurors were seated at a reasonably fast clip.

From Slate

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