Barack Obama Summoned for Jury Duty in Illinois

Ex-President Barack Obama has been summoned for jury duty in Illinois and is planning to serve, a court official says.

Details have not been released but Barack Obama, 56, is expected to appear in Cook County next month.

The former president owns a home in Washington DC and also in Chicago and could be called for civil or criminal cases.

Bill Clinton and George W. Bush also appeared for jury selection after leaving the White House.

George W. Bush Called for Jury Duty in Dallas

Barack Obama went to Harvard Law School and lectured at the University of Chicago’s law school for 12 years before he joined the Senate. He also worked as a civil rights lawyer.

According to Chicago Tribune, Cook County Chief Judge Timothy Evans said: “He made it crystal-clear to me through his representative that he would carry out his public duty as a citizen and resident of this community.”

Judge Timothy Evans said that Barack Obama’s security was a priority. A spokesman for the former president has not commented.

Jurors in the county get paid $17.25 for each day served.

If chosen, Barack Obama would not be the first high-profile person to appear on a jury in Cook County – celebrity Oprah Winfrey sat on a jury for a murder trial in 2004, NPR reports.