Despite being the former leader of a country called the United States of America, Barack Obama can’t avoid jury duty.
On Wednesday morning, the 44th president returned to Chicago to perform his civic obligation that so many of us dread. He and his Secret Service detail arrived around 10 a.m. at the Richard J. Daley Center, where he was greeted by an enthusiastic group of potential jurors, staff, and reporters.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Obama took the time to shake hands and sign copies of books while on-lookers applauded and snapped photos.
"I don’t know of anybody who receives a summons from me and says, ‘Oh great, I get to serve jury duty,’" Chief Judge Timothy Evans jokingly told the Tribune. "I hope they can see that … if the former president of the United States takes his time to come, anybody ought to be willing to come."
Obama reportedly completed the whole routine, which included watching old juror training videos while sitting next to complete strangers; however, he ultimately wasn’t selected. A spokesman for the chief judge told reporters that the former POTUS was assigned to one of 16 panels; Obama’s group—panel 6—was not selected to serve as potential trial juries.
But it wasn’t a complete waste of time. Obama will be mailed a check for $17.20—the daily stipend all jurors receive.
