Voir dire
2 definitions found for this term.
Definitions are presented in the order source books were published (most recent first).
An inquiry in a trial to determine whether a particular piece of evidence, such as a confession of the accused to the police, is admissible in evidence. In a jury trial, the jury will be excluded during a voir dire, while, if the judge is sitting alone, as is normally the case in youth justice court, the judge must not consider any evidence heard at the voir dire if it is ruled inadmissible. The expression is derived from vrai dire (to speak the truth) in Norman French, the language used in medieval English courts.
A trial within a trial to determine an internal trial issue, such as the admissibility of certain evidence. The jury is absent from the courtroom.