venire

Venire is a legal term derived from the Latin venire, meaning "to come." In common law jurisdictions, venire refers to the pool or panel of prospective jurors summoned to appear in court, as well as the writ directing their summons (often shortened to venire or venire facias). The venire may be used to select either a grand jury or a petit jury, depending on jurisdiction and proceeding.

The venire is drawn from the community and serves as the potential jury pool. It is not itself the jury; candidates within the venire are screened by the court and attorneys during the process of voir dire, and those deemed suitable are empaneled to form the jury that will hear the case. Those not selected may be returned to the general venire pool for possible use in future cases.

In practice, the composition and size of a venire vary by jurisdiction. In many places, a larger venire is summoned to ensure a sufficient pool after exemptions and disqualifications; from this pool, the final jury is selected through voir dire and peremptory or cause challenges.

Historically, the term distinguishes the pool of possible jurors from the final jury and the grand jury; some jurisdictions still reference grand venire for the pool used to select grand juries.

The term remains in use in modern legal language, though many jurisdictions may use different formulations for jury pools. Voir dire, jury selection, and the concept of a venire are closely linked in the administration of juries.