Conrad Murray was present at the Los Angeles Superior Court court but avoided waiting photographers by entering the building via a back entrance, an AFP journalist on the scene said.
"They opened court... the judge gave a brief explanation, then they went down to the jury assembly room," a court spokeswoman told AFP, adding: "Conrad Murray was in attendance today."
Some 160 potential jurors will be questioned initially to determine if they are fit and able to serve in the trial on Conrad Murray, provisionally scheduled to start on September 27.
Those who pass the first stage of vetting will be asked to fill in an extensive questionnaire to weed out those susceptible to bias over the high-profile case.
Outside the court there were only two demonstrators: one in favor of Murray, one against. In the past large numbers of demonstrators have turned up for pre-trial hearings, and may are expected when the trial actually starts.
"Justice For Michael Jackson," read the anti-Murray placard, while the other declared: "I support Dr. Conrad Murray. An Innocent Man Who Must Be Exonerated!!"
The trial was originally to start in May and a three-day jury selection process occurred then, but those chosen were dismissed after the judge delayed the case to give Murray's lawyers more time to prepare their case.
Murray, the last doctor to treat Jackson, is on trial for involuntary homicide in Jackson's death on June 25, 2009 after an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol, which the singer used as a sleeping aid.
Jackson's death, on the eve of a planned series of comeback concerts in London aimed at reviving his reputation and finances battered by child sex allegations, stunned fans around the world.
His personal doctor is charged with administering propofol -- usually used as an anesthetic -- to the star and then neglecting to monitor him closely enough.
Murray's defense team is expected to argue that Jackson gave himself an excessive dose of the drug while the doctor was out of the room at the singer's mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood west of Los Angeles.
Opening statements are tentatively set to begin September 27, and the trial -- which will be televised -- is expected to last up to six weeks.
In the run-up to the trial, the judge has dealt with a number of requests: in August he barred defense attorneys for Murray from calling Jackson's former physicians as witnesses.
He also refused to sequester the jury despite a case the defense says could be "the most publicized in history" -- comparable to the mid-1990s O.J. Simpson trial, in which jurors were sequestered to guard against outside influence.
The trial will start as plans continue for a tribute concert to the late singer, scheduled for October 8 in Wales but clouded by infighting between members of Jackson's family.
When the star's mother Katherine Jackson and her children made public their plans for the tribute concert in late July, Randy and Jermaine issued a sharp rebuke, blasting the timing of event.
"There will come a time and place for an amazing and deserving tribute to Michael. But we feel that the most important tribute we can give to our brother at this time is to seek justice in his name," the pair said on Twitter in July.
Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011