Mr Obama, who is based in Washington DC but still owns a house in Chicago, arrived at the Cook County courthouse and sat through the 20-minute training video explaining the ins and outs of jury service.
Unlike most ordinary citizens en route to performing their civic duty, the 44th president’s motorcade was tracked by excited onlookers all the way from his home on the city’s South Side.
On arrival at the courthouse, Mr Obama – wearing sunglasses, a dark sports jacket and white shirt – waved to people who gathered outside on Wednesday morning.
Ultimately, the former law professor and Nobel Peace Prize winner was sent home without being selected for service from a panel of 168 potential jurors.
A spokeswoman later released a statement saying: “President Obama believes the most important office in our democracy is that of citizen, and he considers jury duty a core obligation of citizenship.”
Like other jurors, Obama can expect a cheque for £13 for turning up.
But his spokeswoman said the former president will return the money.
Mr Obama, who was able to postpone jury duty after being summoned in 2010 while in office, will now be excused from jury duty for at least a year before being reassigned into the pool of potential jurors who are randomly selected to serve.
Mr Obama was not the first former president to be called to jury duty. In 2015, former President George W.
Bush answered the call in Dallas, but again he was not selected.
Before him, former President Bill Clinton reported for jury duty in 2003 in New York.
He also was not selected.
Mr Obama was not the first famous resident of the so-called Windy City to be called to jury duty.
In 2004, Oprah Winfrey was on a Chicago jury that convicted a man of murder.
A decade later, A-Team star Mr T, was sent home unselected after turning up for jury service at another Chicago courthouse, sporting his trademark Mohican haircut, but without his usual gold chains.