Jury Duty: Voir dire
In my previous post, I mentioned a process by which the court determines biases an individual may have in relation to charges in a case. I also mentioned that I wouldn't be surprised if courts didn't use this process 50 or 80 years ago. After a bit of research, I found no evidence to back my claim, so it stands as merely my own postulate.
What I did find was sentiment similar to my own.
"In the United States the process of voir dire is often much more in depth than in other countries and its practical implementation is somewhat controversial because of this. The amount of privacy that the potential jurors are afforded when asked questions raises the issue of the definition of "impartial jury". Some people question if the intensive questioning of potential jurors looks not just for inherent bias but for a potential to be emotionally swayed. On the other hand, proponents argue that this method gives both sides more confidence in the verdict." [1]
Looks like I'm not the only one who sees some controversy in this process.
Woodie
Maybe you should watch Jury Duty with Pauly Shore. It's funny!