Do Not Capitalize Names of Examinations (Cross, Direct, Voir Dire)
Capitalization
Rulebase Summary
Do not capitalize the names of examinations in court — direct examination, cross-examination, redirect, recross, voir dire. These are common nouns describing the type of examination, not proper nouns.
BGGP Capitalization.24 · p.299
Examples
✗
A. The Direct Examination is expected to go several days.
✓
A. The direct examination is expected to go several days.
Examination names are lowercase.
✗
A. She wants to Voir Dire him later in the day.
✓
A. She wants to voir dire him later in the day.
Voir dire is lowercase.
Transcript Notes
Capitalization of examination types varies by region and jurisdiction — check local custom. The default per BGGP is lowercase.
Style Guide References (1)
BGGP
Capitalization.24
Page 299