In 1990, Barack Obama became the first black president in the history of the Harvard Law Review. In November, the man who became the first non-white President of the United States will put his considerable knowledge of the criminal justice system to use for the hefty sum of $17.20 per day as a juror in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
According to Mitchell Armentrout of the Chicago Sun-Times, Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans told county commissioners Obama would report for jury duty during a Friday budget hearing.
“Evans did not reveal which city or suburban court branch the 44th president has been called to, or the date he’ll serve, saying only that it will be in November and he expects Obama to show up,” Armentrout reported.
Obama, who is now a private citizen, was summoned for jury duty in 2010. He passed on that summons, as he was ostensibly busy being the President of the United States and all.
The Obamas keep homes in both Washington D.C. and Chicago, with Obama logging significant time in Chicago during his time as a community organizer and later as a senator. Plans will likely have to be made to accommodate Obama’s Secret Service detail during jury duty. That protection comes via the Former Presidents Protection Act of 2012, which Obama signed in 2013. It provides all former US Presidents and First Ladies lifetime Secret Service protection and affords the same for their children until age 16.
If you need a further contrast between the current administration and the previous one, Obama serving jury duty while Trump allegedly uses Hurricane-battered Puerto Rico as an opportunity to provide kickbacks to his flunkies is a good place to start. Barack Obama lending a hand to Chicago, albeit in a small capacity that looks like overkill, also provides an excellent clapback for the dog whistle white supremacist cries of “What about Chicago?” by those offering pro-Trump takes on issues like gun reform and athletes protesting racial inequalities during the national anthem.
