Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Former Clerks Stand Guard As Public Viewing Begins At SCOTUS
The legendary Supreme Court Justice will be honored over the next three days in Washington, D.C. before her burial in Arlington Cemetery next week.
Legendary Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made her final trip to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, as ceremonies began in her honor.
More than 100 of Ginsburg's former law clerks stood at the steps of the Supreme Court, and some served as honorary pallbearers, accompanying her flag-draped casket inside the building. A private ceremony was held with family and friends Wednesday morning.
Ginsburg, a liberal force on the Court and fierce advocate for women, died at 87 on Friday of cancer complications. She had sat on the nation’s highest court for 27 years.
The late justice will lie in repose on Wednesday and Thursday outside the Supreme Court building. The public is welcome to pay their respects to Ginsburg under a portico on the front steps that allows for social distancing.
On Friday, Ginsburg will be moved to the Capitol Building, where she’ll become the first woman to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. The last Supreme Court Justice to lie in state was William Taft in 1930, who served as a Chief Justice from 1921 to 1930 after his presidency.
President Trump is expected to pay his respects on Thursday.
Ginsburg will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery beside her late husband, Martin Ginsburg, next week following a private ceremony.
Americans have been mourning the loss of Ginsburg, a trailblazer in U.S. law and politics and the second woman to ever sit on the Supreme Court. Crowds of people gathered at the Supreme Court building on Friday night, laying flowers and candles in her honor.
Replacing Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court has become a contentious issue ahead of the presidential election. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) appears to have enough votes to push through a Trump-selected nominee.
In 2016, McConnell blocked the Senate from voting on President Obama’s justice nominee, Merrick Garland, following Antonin Scalia's death.
President Trump has said he’ll announce a nominee on Saturday. The court begins its new term remotely on October 5.
NPR reported that Ginsburg told her granddaughter days before her death, “My most fervent wish is that I will not be replaced until a new president is installed.”