Anyone who has ever been called for jury service will know all too well of the boredom.
The sitting in a room full of chairs and vending machines, the long-winded conversations about what everyone is doing for lunch, and the incessant winking that goes on between jurors when they think they know who is guilty as a result of being forbidden to talk about the case.
So, imagine the excitement radiating from members of the public in the Richard J Daley Centre in downtown Chicago, Illinois yesterday when, lo and behold, Barack Obama reported to the courts to serve as a juror.
As HelloGiggles reports, the former president of the US showed up to the courthouse with six Secret Service agents, signed in with the registrar and took his seat in the waiting room just like everyone else, before shaking hands with the entire room of fellow jurors.
Doing the rounds with his countrymen, the politician looked dapper dressed in a buttoned-down white shirt and black suit, asking the jurors 'how's everyone doing?' and saying 'thanks everyone for serving up the jury'.
At one point, someone in the room even shouted 'Nice to meet you, Mr. President', which subsequently had us tearing up.
Sharon Mindock, an employee at the courthouse, told ABC 7 Chicago: 'I'm surprised that he's actually coming here, yes. I thought if anybody, he should have some political pull to get out.'
Juror Angel Martinez later posted a video of his encounter with the 44th president of the US with the caption: 'OBAMA!Jury duty & I just shook hands with the best president ever!!'
The former politician returned to Chicago to perform his civic duty, despite currently living in Washington D.C.
Cook County Chief Judge Tim Evans revealed the former president was very gracious on his arrival at the courthouse.
'The public allowed him to come in and to do his duty. I thought, for example, he would be reticent about greeting them. He came in and greeted the prospective jurors on both side of the panels.
'We had about 220 people here. He took time to greet people on both sides,' Evans said, according to the Guardian.
Like every American citizen, Obama was paid $17.20 for his day of service at the courthouse which he is reportedly planning to donate back to the country.
The father-of-two was reportedly later dismissed from jury a few hours later.
I mean, having a former president sitting next to you on the jury might just be a bit of a distraction.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
