To a chant of “Ready, step” as members of the military ascended the steps to the U.S. Capitol carrying her casket, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the Capitol Friday morning, after two days lying in repose at the Supreme Court. Ginsburg is the 34th person to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol; four people have lain in honor, the term for those who didn’t serve in government.
Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, traveled from Delaware to honor Ginsburg. Sen. Kamala Harris, the vice presidential nominee, will also visit to pay her respects.
Ginsburg’s casket arrived at 9:30 AM ET, before a scheduled 10 AM private service. The casket is scheduled to leave the Capitol at 12:30 PM, with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be joined by a bipartisan group of women from both the Senate and the House. MSNBC reported, though, that few of the Republican members of Congress invited to the service were in attendance.
As Ginsburg’s casket arrived, a small crowd of onlookers gathered, despite the private nature of the ceremony and lack of public viewing hours.