On the First Day, Potential Jackson Jurors Sing Blues

Many Among Initial 300 in Pool Make Their Case to Be Excused

Michael Jackson departs the courthouse for a lunch break during the first day of jury selection in his child molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif. (Lee Celano - AP)

SANTA MARIA, Calif., Jan. 31 -- Michael Jackson arrived early at the county courthouse on Monday, his black SUV winding past the barricades lined with hundreds of reporters and cameras. He stepped out of the car, his lone bodyguard opened an umbrella to shield him from the weak morning sun and Jackson turned -- dressed all in white, with a bejeweled and brocaded vest and belt, and spats -- to wave once, twice to about a hundred fans who shrieked his name.

Commentators often can't resist comparing these appearances to a circus, and though there were a few Jackson impersonators and some teenagers waving signs that read "MICHAEL IS THE REAL VICTIM!," the vibe wasn't really Ringling Bros., big top stuff.

The assembled global media far outnumbered spectators, and curious spectators outnumbered fans. More than a thousand journalists have been credentialed for the trial and 57 TV satellite trucks were lined up in the parking lots; for most of the day, Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville listened to workaday citizens trying to get out of jury service for what is predicted to be a six-month trial, pleading that it would either bankrupt their families or force them to ignore care for elderly parents or sick children.

Jackson strode into the courtroom where they were selecting the jurors who will decide whether he gave alcohol to a 13-year-old cancer sufferer and then sexually molested the boy, later imprisoning him and his family early in 2003. The incidents allegedly occurred at Jackson's Neverland Ranch and at a Miami hotel. Jackson has pleaded not guilty to the 10-count indictment and is free on $3 million bond.

On Sunday, his Web site carried a video of the 46-year-old entertainer. "I love my community and I have great faith in our justice system," Jackson said in the video. "Please keep an open mind and let me have my day in court. I deserve a fair trial like every other American citizen. I will be acquitted and vindicated when the truth is told."

The first 300 potential jurors out of a pool of 750 appeared in court Monday either to ask to be excused from service because the trial would pose too great a hardship on their finances, health or family, or to agree to remain in the jury pool and to fill out a seven-page questionnaire, which has not been released to the media.

Huddled with his four attorneys and a jury consultant, Jackson waited for almost an hour before the first group of 150 potential jurors came into Melville's courtroom. As they entered, Jackson stood and smiled at them. Jackson spent the first day in court well-behaved, polite (he shook hands with the court clerks and nodded to reporters) and seemingly confident -- far different than past appearances, which included Jackson dancing on his car roof, fidgeting in his seat or disappearing into the bathroom.

Melville began the day by explaining to potential jurors that service in the court was the hallmark of the American judicial system, that they would be a panel of peers "envied by other countries that do not have this benefit." In that first group of 150, 66 asked to be released from service. Then, one by one, Melville spent the morning listening to the reasons why they felt they should be deferred (presumably to a shorter, less sensational trial).

The day offered a window into the jury pool called for the much-anticipated trial in western Santa Barbara county, about 100 miles up the coast from Los Angeles. In the first group, only three appeared to be African American -- the majority were white and about one in four was Latino. By their answers, they were mostly working- or middle-class.

Among those asking to be released, most explained to Melville that they were the sole or main providers for their families and that six months in court would ruin them financially. This is a sampling of what they said:

• I'm a chiropractor, and if I don't see patients, I don't get paid.

• I'm a rancher with 36 animals and 14 babies on the way.

• I live 60 miles away. I can't afford the gas.

• I'm a counselor in school and my kids and their parents need me.

• My mother is 98 years old and I cook and clean for her every day.

• I just can't do it. Child support and two children. My boss would fire me.

• I broke my ankle. I'm just starting a new job. I'm, like, broke.

Potential Juror Number 100127714 said, "I'm just too old to serve" and confessed to being 75.

"You don't look a day over 60," Melville said.

"Plus, I have a multitude of illnesses," she added, hopefully.

Number 100709715, a middle-aged man, said he was a single father with a 10-year-old son. Asked by Melville whether his employer would pay him while on jury duty, he answered, "No, sir, he's an attorney." That got a laugh from the courtroom.

Number 100140930 slowly approached the lectern and announced, "I'm eight months pregnant and -- " Melville cut her off with a smile and said, "and that will do it." She was excused.

Another juror, who said she had to care for her elderly mother, asked: "Don't they lock juries up?" No, Melville said, adding that he planned on being home every night. Though the judge didn't say it, juries in high-profile cases are often sequestered during their deliberations.

Melville did not announce which jurors he would excuse. Those who did not ask to be let go went to another room to fill out the seven-page questionnaire, which asked more detailed and personal questions -- typically employment, age, education, life history and such things as whether the potential juror knew the defendant, the lawyers, possible witnesses, what they had heard about the case, and whether they thought they could be impartial.

The initial screening of jurors is scheduled to end on Wednesday. Next week, lawyers for Jackson and the government will begin questioning them individually in the process known as voir dire. Melville announced that he hoped to have a jury of 12 plus eight alternates in place in the next two to three weeks. Then opening arguments will begin.