St. Louis University Law Groups Organize Largest Naturalization Ceremony in St. Louis History

The Saint Louis University School of Law made history on Friday, September 19, 2008, when 1,000 new citizens were sworn in at the new Chaifetz Arena on campus. Clinic students and members of the Public Interest Law Group organized the event.  Prof. John Ammann, Clinic Director and Faculty Adviser for the Public Interest Law Group, reports:

Third year student Meggie Biesenthal welcomed the new citizens in a speech before a crowd of several thousand family and friends, and the keynote speech was delivered by Assistant Professor Amany Ragab Hacking, herself a naturalized citizen and member of our Clinic Faculty. 

While our Clinic has joined with others to sue the federal government in the past for delaying citizenship for our clients, this is an example of how Clinics can help work to alleviate the delays in the citizenship process through partnerships with the agencies we often see on the opposite side of a lawsuit.

Photos of the event are posted on the St. Louis Post-Dispatch web page.  -jl