Obama to skip jury duty at suburban Chicago courthouse

BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. - President Barack Obama will be skipping jury duty after being summoned in Illinois.

A White House official said Sunday that the president has alerted the court he won't be able to make it.

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.

Obama was a U.S. Senator from Illinois before he was elected to the White House.

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  President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010, during an event honoring National Mentoring Month. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)