Barack Obama was dismissed from jury duty in Chicago on Wednesday, The Guardian reported.

The former US president arrived for duty at the Richard J Daley Center in downtown Chicago shortly after 10 am on Wednesday.

By noon, the Cook County chief judge, Timothy Evans, was telling reporters that Obama would not be serving.

Obama’s appearance at the courthouse created quite a stir. He was photographed outside by people who heard on the news that Obama would be coming to court. In the courthouse lobby, people craned their necks for a glimpse of Obama, wearing a sport coat and shirt but no tie, and took cellphone pictures of him.

Evans said the former president shook hands with other would-be jurors inside the jury assembly room and signed copies of his books that some had taken with them to court.

According to published reports, the Secret Service was at the courthouse on Tuesday in anticipation of Obama’s appearance.

Like others, Obama would have been in line to be paid $17.20 a day for jury duty.