Former US President Barack Obama called for jury duty

FORMER US president Barack Obama has been asked to take part in a new short-term gig, which pays around $22 a day for his efforts.

Former US President Barack Obama has been called for jury duty in Chicago.

Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans told county commissioners during a budget hearing that 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 Obama’s safety will be “uppermost in our minds” when he serves.

He said: “Obviously we will make certain that he has all the accoutrements that accompany a former president. His safety will be uppermost in our minds. 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.”

This is not the first time that Obama has been called for jury duty. In 2010, he received a summons for jury duty in Cook County, where he owns a home, 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.

Former US President Barack Obama is expected to show up for jury duty. Picture: AFP

“Although it’s not a place where the public can earn a lot of money, it is highly appreciated,” Evans also told The Chicago Tribune.

“It’s crucial that our society get the benefit of that kind of commitment.”

While Evans says that he has indicated he will appear for jury duty, Obama has not yet publicly confirmed his participation.

He is also not the first president to turn up for jury duty in the US.

Former president George W Bush reported for jury duty in Dallas, Texas in 2015.

John Kerry also showed up for jury duty in 2005 and was selected to sit on the jury and serve as the foreman.

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 moustachioed Lester Holt, once a local news reader and now anchor of NBC Nightly News.

Jurors in Cook County are paid $US17.20 ($A22.38) for each day of service.