How do prosecutors and defense lawyers choose a jury in criminal defense law?

In New York, prosecutors and defense lawyers use a process called “voir dire” to choose the jury for a criminal defense trial. Voir dire is French for “to speak the truth” and gives each side the opportunity to ask questions of the potential jurors and find out if any of them have an opinion on the case that might prevent them from being a fair and impartial juror. The judge will start by reading a list of the alleged facts in the case and asking the prospective jurors if they believe they could be fair and impartial based on what they heard. If anyone answers no, they will not be allowed to serve on the jury. The lawyers for both sides are then able to ask additional questions to the remaining jurors, such as if they have ever been involved in a similar case or if they know anyone who is involved in the case. They can also ask the jurors about their opinions on the law, the police, and the criminal justice system in general. If either the prosecutor or the defense lawyer feels that a particular juror might be biased, they can challenge the juror for cause and ask the judge to dismiss them from the jury. The judge will then decide if the juror should be dismissed or not. Finally, each side is allowed a certain number of peremptory challenges, which are challenges that do not have to be justified. These challenges are used to get rid of potential jurors who either seem favorable to the other side or who could be sympathetic to the defendant. Once the jury is chosen, the trial can begin.

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How do prosecutors and defense lawyers choose a jury in criminal defense law?

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