Voir Dire

We were called by name.
We were asked to remain in position.
We were filed singly and marched up (by elevator) to the fifteenth floor.

"All stand. Jury entering."
We entered the courtroom.
Two lawyers, a special agent, and the defendant peered at us.

We were going to undergo "voir dire."
It is an Anglo-French term for "speaking the truth."

"Ms. X, you are a software engineer?... Numbers have to be exact in your profession, correct?... And yet, you know life is not that clear-cut?"

"Mr. Z, you are a manager?... For how long?.. When a dispute occurs, do you listen to both employees?.. Why?"

As the questions rolled, it was obvious that the lawyers were trying to get a feel of our personalities and principles through our occupations and family backgrounds.

This is voir dire's purpose Judge Reed O'Connor implied in the beginning explanation.
The beauty of the American justice system is every defendant gets a trial by jury.
And lawyers on both sides try to get a jury most sympathetic to their cause.

After the questioning, it was a grueling 2 1/2 hour wait in the corridor.
We all had worries, obligations, and plans weighing on our mind.
No access to newspapers, cell phone, or internet.

Voir dire.
To speak the truth.
To speak your truth.

And hopefully your truth (and eleven others - it was a criminal case and so 12 jurors were needed) will lead to the truth.

ps1. More about the jury system:
http://www.crfc.org/americanjury/voir_dire.html
http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=2229
ps2. I belong to Dallas County and so was under the Northern District of Texas. We met at the Earl Cabell Federal Building. Photo courtesy of http://dallasdiorama.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html

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