Ex-prez Obama called for jury duty in Chicago
Chicago, Oct. 28: Former US President Barack Obama has been called for jury duty in Chicago.
Cook County chief Judge Tim Evans on Friday told county commissioners during a budget hearing that Mr Obama, who owns homes in Washington, DC, and Chicago’s Kenwood neighbourhood, will serve in November.
He is registered to vote in Chicago. Evans says Mr Obama’s safety will be “uppermost in our minds” when he serves.
Those called can be put either in the pool for criminal case or civil hearings. They can be called to any of the county’s Chicago or suburban courthouses.
All jurors watch a decades-old video about their duties narrated by a mustachioed Lester Holt, once a local news reader and now anchor of NBC Nightly News. Jurors in Cook County are paid $17.20 for each day of service.
The chief judge of Cook County, Illinois, announced at a budget hearing on Friday that Mr Obama would be completing his civic duty next month, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Chief judge Tim Evans told the newspaper that the courts would make adjustments to accommodate Mr Obama’s security detail, adding, “Obviously we will make certain that he has all the accouterments that accompany a former president. His safety will be uppermost in our minds.”
Evans continued, “He made it crystal-clear to me through his representative that he would carry out his public duty as a
Cook County chief Judge Tim Evans said to county commissioners that Barack Obama will serve in November
He is registered to vote in Chicago. Evans says Obama’s safety will be “uppermost in our minds”
citizen and resident of this community.”
This is not the first time that Obama has been called for jury duty in recent years. In 2010, he received a summons for jury duty in Cook County, where he owns a home, just as he was preparing for his first State of the Union address. Obama, who has a law degree from Harvard, did not serve on that jury.
“Although it’s not a place where the public can earn a lot of money, it is highly appreciated,” Evans also told the Tribune on Friday.