Barack Obama called for jury duty in Cook County

Former President Barack Obama spent eight years in the White House and more than a decade in office in Illinois.

But civic duty still calls for him in his hometown.

Cook County Circuit Court Chief Judge Timothy Evans told county commissioners at a Friday budget hearing that Obama will report for jury duty next month.

Evans did not reveal which city or suburban court branch the 44th president has been called to, or the date he’ll serve, saying only that it will be in November and he expects Obama to show up.

It’s not the first time a jury summons has been sent to Obama’s Kenwood home, though it will be the first time Obama pockets the handsome $17.20 paycheck that Cook County jurors receive for each day of service.

His name popped up on a jury duty list at the Bridgeview courthouse in January 2010, but, with a busy start to his second year as president — prepping his first State of the Union address, drafting the Affordable Care Act and performing other chores assigned to the leader of the free world — Obama passed along word that he wouldn’t make it.

Other notable Cook County jurors have included Oprah Winfrey, who ended up hearing a murder trial in 2004, and Mr. T, who advertised his civic prowess before being passed over to serve in a 2009 drug case: “If you’re innocent, I’m your best man,” he said. “But if you’re guilty, I pity that fool.”