The late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is making history even in her absence.
On Friday (Sept. 25), when her casket is placed in the National Statuary Hall, the Notorious R.B.G. will officially become the first woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, an honor given by Congress to government and military officials who have “rendered distinguished service to the nation.”
Before then, Ginsburg’s casket will be brought to the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Sept. 23) morning for a private ceremony in the court’s Great Hall. The casket will then be moved under the building’s portico where it will lay in repose until Friday. A formal, intimate ceremony in commemoration of Ginsburg’s tribute will follow, and a private burial will be held next week at the Arlington National Cemetery.
The late Ginsburg will also be honored with a memorial in her native borough. “We’re considering Brooklyn Bridge Park on a site that would overlook the Statue of Liberty. We are going to do a statue in Brooklyn for her,” New York Governor Andre Cuomo recently announced. “She is a Brooklyn native, and we’re very proud of that.”
The Supreme Court broke the news of Ginsburg’s death on Friday (Sept. 18) after she passed away from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer.
“Our Nation has lost a jurist of historic stature,” said Chief Justice John Roberts at the time. “We at the Supreme Court have lost a cherished colleague. Today we mourn, but with confidence that future generations will remember Ruth Bader Ginsburg as we knew her — a tireless and resolute champion of justice.”
Ginsburg’s tribute comes after Congressman John Lewis laid in state back in July. Although she will become the first woman to lie in state, Rosa Parks was the first woman to lie in honor, an equivalent given to private individuals.