Ginsburg to lie in repose at Supreme Court

The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in repose this week at the Supreme Court before her burial next week at Arlington National Cemetery, a court spokesperson said.

Ginsburg, who died Friday from cancer, will lie in repose Wednesday and Thursday at the top of the court’s front steps following a private ceremony inside the Supreme Court’s main corridor.

The arrangement allows for public viewing outdoors. A spokesperson for the court said the public is invited to pay respects in front of the court from 11 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Wednesday and from 9 a.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Former law clerks of Ginsburg, who for years led the court’s liberal wing, and Supreme Court police officers will serve as pallbearers.

“The justices will remain inside the Great Hall where the casket will be placed on the Lincoln Catafalque, which has been loaned to the Court by the U.S. Congress for the ceremony,” a court spokesperson said. “A 2016 portrait of Justice Ginsburg by Constance P. Beaty will be on display in the Great Hall.”

A private interment service will be held next week at Arlington National Cemetery, the court said.

The Supreme Court has draped a black wool crepe over the entrance to the courtroom and the place on the bench formerly occupied by Ginsburg, a court tradition dating to at least 1873.

The flags on the court’s front plaza will also be flown at half-staff for 30 days in honor of Ginsburg.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) also announced on Monday that Ginsburg will lie in state in the Capitol’s National Statuary Hall on Friday.

“Justice Ginsburg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness, and her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who sacrifice and strive to build a better future for our children,” Pelosi said. “Every family in America benefited from her brilliant legacy and courage. Her opinions have unequivocally cemented the precedent that all men and women are created equal.”

A formal ceremony for invited guests will be held at the Capitol on Friday morning due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

–Updated at 11:56 a.m.