On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day 2019, several professional major-league and minor-league baseball teams welcomed new citizens at naturalization ceremonies on and around September 17. Teams included the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, and Philadelphia Phillies, whose stadium is a short distance from where the delegates at the Constitutional Convention drafted our founding document in 1787. The U.S. Courts have organized the ceremonies, which in past years have been held at iconic locations such as historic and national parks.
“I have watched many standing ovations for home runs and winning games,” Magistrate Judge Michael Newman said. “This standing ovation, to honor new citizens who completed all of the legal requirements for citizenship, began when they went out onto the field and continued until all 7,000-plus of us in the stadium recited the Pledge of Allegiance together. It was an amazing night that I will never forget.”