Barack Obama called up for jury duty in Chicago

A famous face is set to grace a jury with former US president Barack Obama expected to answer the call of duty in his home city of Chicago.

The 44th US president, who served as a senior lecturer at the Chicago Law School prior to his election, is due to be called up for jury duty in November.

Cook County chief judge Tim Evans announced Mr Obama's selection to county commissioners during a budget hearing on Friday.

He said the safety of Mr Obama, who owns homes in Washington DC and Chicago, will be "uppermost in our minds" during the process.

The 56-year-old ex-leader, who is registered to vote in Chicago, could be called to sit in on either criminal cases or civil hearings.

He could also be called to any of the county's Chicago or suburban courthouses.

Jurors in the county are paid $17.20 (£13.10) per day of service and reportedly have to watch a decades-old film about their duties narrated by one-time local newsreader Lester Holt.

Mr Obama will be more than familiar with the legal system after training as a lawyer at the Harvard Law School and later practising in Chicago as a civil rights lawyer.

He went on to become a lecturer and professor at the Chicago Law School for 12 years before becoming president.

(SKY NEWS)