Not being a lawyer, I get confused by voir dire in the sense that I don’t understand how it developed.
Isn’t the defendant only entitled to an “impartial jury” of his/her peers? When did that become entitled to a “sympathetic jury”?
Bwana Bob, remember not just the defense counsel conducts voir dire; the prosecution does too (or in some state and all federal courts, the judge does it for both). The jurors that are ultimately chosen are those reasonably acceptable to both sides. Often it’s more a process of winnowing out bias than finding sympathetic jurors, and those that sit are really sort of those “left over” after the unacceptable jurors are booted.
It sounds like someone involved with the case is actively involved with a local church, either officially or as a volunteer. Since it’s the defense lawyer asking the questions, I’m guessing that this person is a character witness for the defendant.
I dunno, bughunter, I didn’t pay close enough attention to the other juror’s answers and who got selected to figure out if it was asked as a good thing or a bad thing.