Ginsburg expected to lie in 2-day repose at Supreme Court
JusticeRuth WASHINGTON— Bad er Ginsburg is expected to lie in repose at the Supreme Court for two days, according to two people familiar with the preliminary plans, a public ceremony that is expected to draw large crowds of admirerswhohave come to view her as a feminist icon and liberal hero.
A ceremony inside the court is expected as early as Tuesday, according to someone familiar with the plan, followedby anoutdoor viewing thatwould adhere to social distancing guidelines.
A small funeral service is also expected to be held for Ginsburg, who died Friday at 87, as well as a burial at Arlington National Cemetery later in the week. Her husband, Martin Ginsburg, was buried at Arlington in 2010.
On Saturday, however, those plans were still not made final andwere subject to change. A spokeswoman for the Supreme Court did not respond to emails about the arrangements.
It is not clear whether President Donald Trump, who suggested on Saturday that he would move swiftly to nominate her replacement, will pay his respects in person.
Ginsburg had reportedly said before she died that her “most fervent wish” was that she not be replaced before a newpresident took office.
The White House, which had lowered its flags to halfstaff Friday night, did not reply to a request for comment.
A two-day public commemoration would be somewhat out of the ordinary— Justices Antonin Scalia, William Brennan, John Paul Stevens and even Chief Justice William Rehnquist all lay in repose for one day, said Barbara Perry, the director of presidential studies at theUniversity of Virginia’s Miller Center.
Justice Warren Burger lay in repose for only 12 hours.
But a crush of admirers was expected to turn out to mourn the passing of the second woman to serve on the SupremeCourt, whohad become in recent years an unlikely cultural icon. Ginsburg was not only a barrier breaker in her field but also, late in life, the subject of children’s picture books and a film. Her image appeared on “Notorious RBG” T-shirts and, more recently, face masks.
Ginsburg was deeply identified with her Jewish faith and did not sit in court on High Holy Days, even though she was not particularly observant and rarely attended services, former clerks said.
Jewish custom would mean that Ginsburgwould have to be buriedMonday, but Judaism is also flexible on matters of burial, and a rabbi could preside over a private funeral days later.
For justiceswho diewhile still sitting on the bench, the long-standing tradition, dating to the late-19th century, is to drape the doors of the courtroom and the justice’s seat in black wool crepe.
On Saturday, all eight remaining justices expressed their grief at the loss of their colleague. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague,” Chief Justice John Roberts said in a statement. “Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg aswe knewher— a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Justice Clarence Thomas said that “the most difficult part of a long tenure iswatching colleagues decline and pass away.”
“And,” he added, “the passing ofmydear colleague, Ruth, is profoundly difficult and so very sad.”