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United States District Court

District of Maine
**PRESS RELEASE**
September 20, 2024
Citizenship Ceremony
On September 17, 2024, Chief U.S. District Judge Lance E. Walker commemorated Citizenship and Constitution Day with a special citizenship ceremony at the University of Southern Maine. Judge Walker granted citizenship to seventy-six new Americans. Joining Chief Judge Walker was District Judge Stacey D. Neumann, who was appointed to the Court on August 26, 2024.

Judge Walker's remarks to the new citizens and their families underscored that our American democracy derives from the principles that all people are created equal, that their creator endows them with certain unalienable rights, and that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He explained, "Citizenship is an action word – that when you take action, remember that America's advantage is in the unity of a diverse people."

The new citizens hailed from countries including Belarus, Belize, Brazil, Burundi, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Congo, El Salvador, France, Germany, India, Iraq, Israel, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sweden, Thailand, and Togo.

Photos from the ceremony are available here. A copy of Chief Judge Walker’s remarks
are posted on the Court’s website.