venire

Definition

The pool of prospective jurors summoned to court from which the jury is selected, Latin for 'to come.' Essentially a random collection of citizens hoping their number isn't called.

Example Usage

The venire of 75 potential jurors was whittled down to 12 through voir dire and challenges.

Origin

From Latin 'venire facias' meaning 'cause to come,' the medieval writ summoning jurors

Fun Fact

Being in the venire is like being on standby—you might serve, you might not, but your day is pretty much shot either way.

Source: Jury selection and trial procedure terminology

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