Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the first woman and Jewish person to lie in state at US
Late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is now the first woman and Jewish person to lie in state at the US capitol.
A ceremony was held on Friday in Washington DC to honor the liberal icon, which included many prominent politicians paying their respects, as well as thousands of mourners.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer led ginsburg’s family into the National Statuary Hall, as guests like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were seen in attendance.
‘Justice Ginsburg embodied justice, brilliance and goodness,’ Pelosi said in a statement Friday. ‘Her passing is an incalculable loss for our democracy and for all who strive to build a better future for our children.’
In one heartwarming moment, Ginsburg’s personal trainer bryant Johnson did pushups in front of her casked while dressed in a suit and tie.
‘I thought it was perfect,’ Schumer said of the ceremony. ‘Perfect.’
There was a bipartisan group of approximately lawmakers who were socially distanced and wearing masks, but the two highest ranking Republicans Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, did not attend.
American soprano Denyce Graves, a friend of Ginsburg’s, performed as guests moved to the casket to say their goodbyes.
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, whose husband was a clerk for Ginsburg, led the ceremony and offered a moving tribute.
‘Today we stand in sorrow,’ Holtzblatt said. ‘And tomorrow, we the people must carry on Justice Ginsburg’s legacy. She was our prophet, our North Star, our strength for so very long. Now she must be permitted to rest.’
Ginsburg will be buried in a private ceremony next week at Arlington National Cemetery, where Ginsburg’s late husband Martin was buried in 2010.
The event was not open to the public due to Covid-19, but that did not stop mourners from gathering outside.
Her casket was carried up the stairs to the Supreme Court on Wednesday, where thousands came to pay their respects, including President Donald Trump.
He was met with an onslaught of booing from the crowd, with mourners chanting in unison to ‘vote him out.’
The late Supreme Court Justice was an inspirational figure in American culture, and was instrumental in fighting for equal rights progress in the country over the past few decades.
Ginsburg’s last wish was that the next president fill her seat, but Trump has already said that he will announce her successor this Saturday.
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