CARBONDALE – The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois will host a Naturalization ceremony Friday at 10 a.m. at Southern Illinois University Carbondale in the Lesar Law Building Auditorium Room 120. United States 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. There will be 99 candidates presented to the Court on behalf of the Department of Justice.

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