(CARBONDALE, IL) — The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois will host a Naturalization ceremony at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 27, 2017, at Southern Illinois University School of Law in the Lesar Law Building, 1150 Douglas Drive, Carbondale, Illinois. 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 in the communities which the Southern District of Illinois serves. This provides opportunities for students and citizens to witness the Naturalization process first-hand and learn more about how immigrants to the United States become citizens. There will be 50 candidates presented to the court on behalf of the Department of Justice by Acting United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce.  For more information, please visit the court’s website, www.ilsd.uscourts.gov, or contact Justine Flanagan at 618/482-9373.