Former presidents are just like you. Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, has been summoned juror at a Cook County, Illinois court this month. Obama owns homes in both Washington DC and Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood, making him applicable to serve.
Chief Judge Tim Evans told the Chicago Tribune that Obama will fulfill his civic duty, though Evans wouldn’t mention the court or date of the hearing. Evans said Obama has “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.”
Additional accommodations will be made to service Obama’s heightened security presence.
-
Related Story: See White House Staffers Prank Obama With Creeping Snowmen
“Obviously we will make certain that he has all the accouterments that accompany a former president,” Evans said. “His safety will be uppermost in our minds.”
Obama will become the highest-profile juror in Cook County’s history, though he joins celebrated celebrities like Oprah and Mr. T, who also served as county jurors. Other politicians have served as well, including governors and mayors, according to the Tribune.
For his services, Obama will be compensated like any other juror—a $17.25 daily wage. That’s a slight pay cut for someone NPR reports received a $400,000 check for just a single speech to a Wall Street firm.
“He’s a great citizen of his city and this county,” Evans told NPR. “We’re happy that he recognizes his responsibility as a citizen to serve just as anybody else would.”
