Voir Dire.

The trial court must conduct a voir dire examination of prospective jurors in order to reveal potential bias. The trial court has broad discretion over the voir dire procedure and the questions to be asked. Either the trial court or the parties may conduct voir dire. Errors in voir dire are subject to harmless error analysis.

Where the defendant requests the court inquire into potential jurors' racial bias, the court is constitutionally required to do so if there is a reasonable possibility that racial prejudice may influence the jury. Where a defendant is charged with an interracial violent crime, “the possibility of racial prejudice” is presumed and the duty to inquire is automatic.

If publicity threatens to prejudice the proceedings at any point, the judge must ensure that jurors have not formed preconceptions of the defendant's guilt. To accomplish this, the court may be required to grant a defendant's request for individual questioning of each prospective juror.

The trial court may impanel an anonymous jury if necessary to protect the jurors and the integrity of their deliberations. The court must mitigate the potential prejudicial effects of an anonymous jury by conducting a careful voir dire designed to uncover juror bias and provide the jurors with plausible, nonprejudicial reasons for their anonymity.