U.S. District Judge will preside over naturalization ceremony
U.S. District Judge Noel L. Hillman will preside over a naturalization ceremony and administer the oath of citizenship to 30 foreign-born residents of Burlington County as part of the Burlington Vicinage’s Constitution Week celebration, announced Burlington County Assignment Judge Ronald E. Bookbinder. This is the second year that the federal district court is co-hosting this event with the Burlington Vicinage.
In conjunction with Constitution Day, the court is celebrating Juror Appreciation Week. Judge Bookbinder will launch the week’s activities by signing and reading a Proclamation.
“A jury of one’s peers is a cornerstone of American jurisprudence and one of the principal means by which citizens take part in an open, democratic government,” said Judge Ronald Bookbinder.
The naturalization ceremony will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 19 at 10 a.m. in the Olde Courthouse located at 120 High St. in Mount Holly. The applicants for citizenship come from 18 countries.
This year marks the 225th anniversary of the drafting of the U.S. Constitution in 1787 in nearby Philadelphia.
“The observance of this holiday will impress upon all of us a renewed respect and understanding for the rights and privileges we all have as Americans,” said Bookbinder. “We are proud to host this ceremony during the national celebration of Constitution and Citizenship Week.”
Pemberton Township High School JROTC will open the ceremony by presenting the colors and the Delran Intermediate School fifth grade will lead the Pledge of Allegiance and recite the Preamble to the Constitution. Liam Taylor, a member of the Willingboro Chapter of the New Jersey Orators, and immigration attorney Shereen Chen, who will represent the Burlington County Bar Association, will deliver remarks. The Burlington County Clerk’s Office will present voter registration forms and passport information to the new citizens.
