Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville summoned 300 people to court for the first round of jury selection. Another 300 are to follow on Tuesday, with a final 150 scheduled to arrive on Wednesday. From that pool, the judge hopes to find 12 jurors and eight alternates, but the process could take a month or more.
Jackson's publicist, Raymond Bain, describes him as "strong" as jury selection begins.
"He has confidence in his defense team. His spirits are great. He has the support of his family his children, his friends," Bain said Monday on CBS News' The Early Show.
He also denied that Jackson is suicidal.
"Mr. Jackson is very strong. He is very thick-skinned, too," he told co-anchor Hannah Storm.