Former President Barack Obama reportedly plans to show up for jury duty next month after being called to serve in Cook County, Illinois.
“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,” Tim Evans, chief judge of the Cook County Circuit Court, told the Chicago Tribune on Friday.
Obama is registered to vote in Illinois because he owns a property in Chicago. His family also owns an $8.1 million home in Washington, D.C., where they currently reside.
“Obviously we will make certain that he has all the accoutrements that accompany a former president,” Evans said. “His safety will be uppermost in our minds.”
It’s not known which courthouse Obama has been summoned to ― nor the exact date. Despite his reported willingness to serve, The Hill notes that he’s “unlikely to be selected” to actually sit on a jury.
Obama has yet to comment.
Court officials in Cook County previously summoned Obama in late 2009 for jury duty. As The Guardian notes, however, he did not attend due to the small matter of running the country.
Should Obama attend, he’d follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, George W. Bush, in performing the duty following his departure from the White House.
Bush was pictured wearing a “Juror” badge in Dallas in 2015:
Obama would also join talk-show host and philanthropist Oprah Winfrey as one of Cook County’s most famous jurors. She served on a jury in 2004 that convicted a man of first-degree murder.
“A-Team” actor Mr T, born Lawrence Tureaud, was another celebrity to show up for jury service in the county. He told reporters “I pity the criminals today” in August 2014 while waiting to be selected, but did not end up serving on a jury.