People Laugh Whenever Obama Says 'Skokie'

President Barack Obama was at the University of Chicago Thursday to discuss the appointment of Judge Merrick Garland as a United States Supreme Court Justice.

The fact that Garland grew up in the Skokie-area (Lincolnwood) was not lost on the president, who mentioned it a couple of times during his talk with faculty and students at the Hyde Park university.

Both times the entire room lit up with laughter.

READ MORE: Obama Talks Merrick Garland With Students at University of Chicago

When asked by a student what diversity Garland - a 1970 Niles West grad - would bring to the nation’s highest court, Obama answered, “well, he’s from Skokie.”

Laughter immediately followed, but Obama went on to call Skokie “a great town” and that while Garland may be “a white guy,” he’s also “a really outstanding jurist.”

In discussing his record of naming far more minorities and women to courts than any former U.S. president, he did say it never occurred to him in any one case that he would need, for example, “a black lesbian from…"

Wait for it.

“Skokie.”

Laughter followed again.

So is ‘Skokie’ just a funny word, or did Obama make it a point to mention the village more than any other Chicago suburb because he just loves it so much?