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Ginsburg, Champion Of Gender Equality, Becomes 1st Woman To Lie In State

Sharon Gellin (left) and Jennifer Howard of Washington, D.C., stand across the street from the Supreme Court, where Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose.
Sharon Gellin (left) and Jennifer Howard of Washington, D.C., stand across the street from the Supreme Court, where Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg lies in repose.

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will lie in state Friday at the U.S. Capitol, the first woman to be given that honor in the nation's history.

Ginsburg's casket will be placed in Statuary Hall, just outside the House of Representatives' chamber. During the brief ceremony, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., will deliver remarks, as will Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, who eulogized Ginsburg as she lay in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court.

Mezzo-soprano opera singer Denyce Graves will perform a tribute to the late justice — an opera aficionado — and members of Congress will file past Ginsburg's casket.

Watch the ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. ET.


Thousands of mourners paid their respects to Ginsburg during the two days her casket rested at the top of the Supreme Court steps, including President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, who nominated her to the high court in 1993.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, are expected to pay their respects on Friday at the Capitol.

Ginsburg will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, after Yom Kippur, next to her husband, Marty.

President Trump has said he will announce his choice to succeed Ginsburg on Saturday.
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

NPR News' Brian Naylor is a correspondent on the Washington Desk. In this role, he covers politics and federal agencies.