VOIR DIRE

in law, process of questioning by which members of a jury are selected from a large panel, or venire, of prospective jurors. The veniremen are questioned by the judge or, more likely, by the attorneys for the respective parties. The attorneys try to detect bias or preconceived notions of guilt or innocence on the part of the veniremen. They may dismiss a juror for cause and have an unlimited number of challenges of this type. They also have a limited number of peremptory challenges that they can use to dismiss a juror for any reason.