Exalted Past Doesn’t Keep Obama From Jury Duty

Former President Barack Obama received a summons for jury duty,
and he answered it. Photo: Evan El-Amin / Shutterstock.com

Former President Barack Obama recently received a summons for jury duty in Chicago, where he owns a home. It’s hard to say whether the President groaned when he received his summons, but he certainly did show up. Furthermore, he didn’t ask to be dismissed from jury duty. Instead, he did the right thing and appeared in court.

Amidst a massive crowd of reporters, Obama made his way to the Daley Center to report for duty. There, accompanied by his Secret Service detail—a service given to all former Presidents—he took a private elevator to the 17th floor, where he was greeted by Chief Judge Timothy Evans.

Once he was in the courthouse, people took out their phones to take photos and videos, according to Evans, and, when he made his way to the jury assembly room, bright with fluorescent lights and filled with rows of black plastic chairs, one juror captured Obama saying “This looks like Chicago right here. I like that.”

It’s great to see a former President accepting jury duty and doing so with the dignity that his office and status demands. Obama also still has plenty of fans, judging from the number of people who wanted to have their photos taken with him.

The way the jury selection process works in Chicago is that 16 jury panels are chosen, shown a juror training video, and then eight of the panels are randomly selected to serve as potential trial juries. Although Obama’s panel wasn’t selected, a spokeswoman said that Obama willingly fulfilled his duty.

“President Obama believes that the most important office in our democracy is that of citizen, and he considers jury duty a core obligation of citizenship,” his spokeswoman said.

If only more people felt that way. Jury duty can be time consuming, and it certainly isn’t lucrative—Obama was sent home with a check for $17.50, which he intends to return to Cook County—it’s an integral part of ensuring that justice is served in a fair and timely way.