Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown Administers Oath of Allegiance to 50 Citizenship Candidates Aboard the USS Midway

Ninth Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown at podium administering the Oath of Allegiance to 50 active members of the U.S. armed forces.

N E W S

July 14, 2026
Contact: Katherine Rodriguez
mediarelease@ce9.uscourts.gov

SAN DIEGO — Senior Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, administered the Oath of Allegiance to 50 citizenship candidates during a naturalization ceremony held on Thursday, July 2, aboard the USS Midway in San Diego. The event was held to coincide with the Fourth of July holiday and was coordinated by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

“It was my privilege to welcome our newest citizens aboard the USS Midway and to recognize their service to our country, which is now theirs too,” said Judge McKeown.

The new citizens came from 23 countries, and all are active members of the United States armed forces.

USCIS Deputy District Director Clarence Tinney presented the citizenship candidates to Judge McKeown. USCIS arranges naturalization ceremonies in conjunction with local U.S. district courts and the U.S. Marshals Service.

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Last updated July 16, 2026