CARBONDALE – The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois will host a Naturalization ceremony on Friday, April 19, at 11 a.m. , in the Lesar Law Building Auditorium Room 120 at SIU Carbondale.

United States Senior District Judge J. Phil Gilbert will preside over the ceremony.

The Southern District of Illinois is one of three federal judicial districts in Illinois and is comprised of the 38 southernmost counties. Although the ceremony is an official court proceeding, the Court elects to host Naturalization ceremonies at various locations within communities in the district. This provides opportunities for students and citizens to witness the Naturalization process firsthand and learn more about how immigrants to the United States become citizens. The Court expects the Department of Justice to present 60 candidates for naturalization.

For more information, please visit the court’s website, www.ilsd.uscourts.gov, or contact Monica Stump/Kristie Rensing at 618-482-9424.