He seemed to be in an upbeat mood for most of the morning session, even walking over to shake hands with the court clerk.
"
How you doing, buddy?" one of his attorneys said.
"
I'm fine, I'm fine" Jackson responded.
The proceedings on Monday began more than an hour later than expected because of the time-consuming task of sending dozens of potential panelists through a thorough security screening. "It didn't seem to bother him" a reporter said. "He was smiling and joking with his lawyers", "He understands very well what is going on...".
More than 150 prospective jurors filed into the courtroom for the first part of jury selection.
Another 150 people were brought in for the afternoon session, and jury selection will resume Tuesday morning with more prospects.
Jackson stood between his lawyers as soon as the first prospective jurors entered court, eyeing those who walked in. Many of the prospective panelists likewise watched him.
Michael Jackson and his attorney, Thomas Mesereau, stand in court in this sketch from the courtroom.
When all of the candidates were seated, it seemed all eyes were on Jackson. Many of the prospective jurors craned their necks to look at him, while those in the front of the room just stared.
More than half of the potential jurors said they felt they could serve on the panel for the duration of the trial, which is expected to last six months. But 138 asked to be let go, citing financial hardships and other concerns.
One person said he was under house arrest and pointed out the ankle bracelet strapped to his leg.
During one exchange with a potential juror, Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville indicated he had no plans to keep the jury sequestered for the trial.
Melville also said he planned for the court sessions to end at 2:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET) every day.
One of the
surprises of the day was that Santa Barbara County
District Attorney Thomas Sneddon - the longtime prosecutor whom Jackson has accused of having a vendetta against him -
was not in court.
He sent Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen to represent the prosecution.
By contrast, Jackson had four attorneys -- including high-profile attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. -- and a jury consultant in court Monday.