Source: Joshua Lott / Getty
No one is exempt from jury duty, not even our favorite former Commander-In-Chief, Barack Obama. On Wednesday morning, the 44th President of the United States took his talents to the Richard Daley Center to complete his native Chicago duties.
Accompanied by a plethora of secret service agents, the former POTUS was escorted into the building via a secure parking garage and private elevator reserved for judges.
Source: Joshua Lott / Getty
Needless to say, the potential jurors awaiting went bananas when Obama walked in. Obama, in his typical cool swag, reacted as presidential as ever, shaking hands, smiling and signing copies of his book, which many of the potential jury members brought along with them.
At one point Obama could be heard saying “This looks like Chicago right here.” The room filled with laughter, in response.
Obama was not selected to serve on a jury. He was instead assigned to one of 16 panels, according to a spokesman for the chief judge. Eight of those panels were randomly selected to serve as potential trial juries and the rest, including Obama’s Panel 6, were not needed and sent home.
Like all the other jurors, Obama will be mailed a check for $17.20. A spokeswoman said the former president will return the money to Cook County. Obama will be excused from jury duty for at least one year before being reassigned into the pool of potential jurors who are randomly selected to serve.
