The first day of jury selection in Britney Spear’s traffic trial began Wednesday morning, with Britney Spears absent from the Van Nuys courtroom and not one single juror being selected.

Pop singer Britney Spears faces a misdemeanor charge stemming from an August 2007 fender-bender when the singer, who did not at the time have a valid California license, hit a parked vehicle and left the scene. She was trying to get away from trailing paparazzi.

Spears did have a valid Louisiana driver’s license at the time.

Soon after the incident, Spears obtained a valid driver’s license for California. Her attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, argues that Spears did no wrongdoing since she did have a license. Furthermore, he asserts that his client has only come to be on trial because of her celebrity.

Spears’ absence on Wednesday may continue throughout the trial, as her lawyer said that the judge had not yet made a final decision regarding her participation.

If convicted, Spears faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Jury selection began with an initial 30 potential jurors going through questioning. Only one person was dismissed, a woman, because she said she had previously had contact with Spears’ manager.

Questioning is scheduled to restart on Thursday morning.

The trial has long been delayed. Spears has rejected plea deals.
While legal troubles continue for the singer, she prepares for a comeback on the music scene. Her new album, “Circus,” is scheduled for release on Dec. 2, the day she celebrates her 27th anniversary. She is also reportedly set to begin a tour in spring 2009.

“Womanizer,” the first single off her upcoming album, proudly peaked at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, after first-week download sales of 286,000. A promising start for Spears’ comeback, considering the only other time she managed this triumphant feat was in 1999, with her debut single “Baby One More Time.”