No, this isn’t an Onion piece (but this one is):
A White House official says President Barack Obama will be skipping jury duty after being summoned in Illinois.
The administration official confirmed to The Associated Press on Sunday that the president alerted the court weeks ago that he won’t be able to make it. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak publicly.Obama was summoned for jury duty at the Bridgeview courthouse in suburban Chicago starting Monday. The summons had arrived at the Obama home on Chicago’s South Side.
With his first State of the Union speech set for Wednesday, Obama has a busy week ahead.
if he doesnt go to jury duty, hes not american. he doesnt care about the system.
if he did go, people would say he doesnt care about the country and that has better things to do like going to jury duty.
Geez, when is it going to end.
Oh come on! This is getting retarded. I think being the President of the United States is a good enough reason not to attend jury duty!
many President are relieved of the jury duty most recently G W Bush
A non story
Who REALLY cares?
Given Obama’s tendency to be wrong, at least one person now has a better chance of getting a fair trial.
But then again it is Chicago – a place where justice is not always the objective.
It is NOT a non-story, at least from the perspective that a sitting president can even be called for jury duty. I think even congressman have better things to do.
We all have better things to do than be the harbinger of justice to our peers. I will use Obama as my excuse to get out of jury duty the next time I receive a notice.
Hey Dodd, did Obama murder your dad when you were a kid? Did he sexually molest you? Did he steal your girlfriend? I mean, really… dude. Get a life. Besides one obsessing about Obama, I mean.
#1 It’s never going to end. For whatever psychological reasons, they’ve had this burning hatred for Democratic presidents since Clinton. They hated him too, also before he took office. They’ve somehow been programmed to believe that Democratic presidents are just not allowed. Whoever is responsible, my compliments to them for an excellent propaganda job.
I wonder who set this up. I guess not everybody back in IL remembers him fondly. The summons could have been handled discreetly at the state level. They decided not to and now Obama in in a situation of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Nothing to see here.
There are permissible reasons to not serve jury duty, such as if you are fundamentally important to a business or enterprise which would be seriously damaged if you were not present.
Hold it, what a sec.
Since Pelosi and Reid are running the country, and –
Since Obama puts his foot in his mouth everytime he opens it, then –
For the good of the country, maybe he SHOULD serve jury duty!!
#10 Since Obama puts his foot in his mouth everytime he opens it, then –
Every time. Every single time, eh?
You screaming Obama haters might want to think about toning it down before the American people tune you out. When you say moronic things like that, people are going to rightfully assume you’re a moron.
I’m fairly certain that public officials of federal, state, or local governments are exempt from jury duty.
#11 LOL!!!
I forgot about the teleprompter. He does better when someone else tells him what to say.
“Obama uses teleprompter in 6th grade”
This stuff just writes itself!!
Use common sense. The prez can’t be on the jury. It would become a media circus and the defendant wouldn’t get a fair trial. He’s not excuse for his own convenience. He’s excused for fairness to the accused.
@14 Ah_Yea – And as usual the right wing nut jobs spread their lies by telling only half the truth:
“Obama held two separate sessions at the school — the first with students and a second for the media. And while he did use two teleprompters for his comments to the media he DID NOT (emphasis mine) use them for his discussion with the students.”
http://weeklystandard.com/blogs/did-obama-use-teleprompter-talk-elementary-school-children
(There are also many other sources on the ‘net saying essentially the same thing)
Facts. Use them.
In other late-breaking news, Cherman posts to DU blog that Sun will rise tomorrow. Dem-haters blame Obama for preceding darkness and credit subsequent light and warmth to Reagan tax cuts.
The president can pardon anyone, for anything.
I’d want him on my jury.
Seriously, who cares? First off, no lawyer is going to seat him no matter what, secondly, it would turn any case into a media circus and lastly, with his entourage of secret service and security, it would make any trial unworkable anyhow.
People need to get over it, he has better things to do than sit on a jury.
My psychiatrist wrote a letter and they exempted me for life.
Usually you get out of jury duty if you are in the military. Obama is the Commander-in-Chief of all US armed forces. And he is a sitting President. I don’t really care for Obama, but he really should be excused from jury duty, as should any sitting President.
This is a non-story, unless he was called to serve on a jury in Kenya. Is that the case? No? Then it is a non-story.
I just left a jury selection an hour ago. No kidding. If the lawyers/prosecutors/judge/defendant/witnesses know any potential juror, that juror is excused.
Or, if the juror doesn’t live in the jurisdiction. But hey right-wingers, run with it and continue to look stupid.
#8 “They’ve somehow been programmed to believe that Democratic presidents are just not allowed.”
But surely that would be undemocratic, wouldn’t it?
Is anyone, right or left, advocating having the President serve on a jury? I don’t think so. You look stupid saying that people on the right believe a sitting President should be on a jury. No one believes that.
# 25 Olo Baggins of Bywater said, on January 26th, 2010 at 7:31 am
“But hey right-wingers, run with it and continue to look stupid.”
#27 Keep on keepin’ on there Dodd… the more wacky you wingnuts look, the less credibility you have. You’re doing a service to the nation. Thanks for your service. 🙂
I am not suprised, I just don’t get it! I have to report to jury duty or I’ll get fined eventually. He should of just showed up for media purposes.
Whoever sent the jury subpoena should be fired for being retarded.
That bastard! Not Obama; Cherman.
#2 – I agree it is retarded. And just another pitiful mud slinging smear tactic. Judges and lawyers get out of being on juries, all the time. So you’d suspect that Mayors, Govenors, and Presidents would too. As well as Congressmen and Senators. And who ever heard of any of these being called for Jury duty before now? This is a set up, by some Illinois bureaucrat, who conveniently forgot to take Obama’s name off the list. I’ll bet he was never called before, now.