Which term describes the process of questioning potential jurors to determine their fitness to serve?

• A. Voir dire
• B. Challenge to the array
• C. Jury instructions
• D. Verdict

Answer: (A)

Voir dire is the process of questioning potential jurors to determine their fitness to serve. This step happens before the trial begins and involves lawyers and the judge asking questions to uncover biases, beliefs, or connections that could affect impartiality. The aim is to select jurors who can judge the case fairly and apply the law as instructed, identifying anyone who may need to be excluded for cause or with a peremptory strike.

Challenging the array concerns the fairness of the entire jury pool or how it was gathered, not the individual jurors’ responses. Jury instructions are the judge’s directions to the jurors about the applicable law and how to decide the case. A verdict is the final decision the jury reaches after weighing the evidence.