The body of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia will lie in repose at the Supreme Court on Friday, with a funeral to follow Saturday at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Scalia’s viewing will be the first at the court since 2005, when then Chief Justice William Rehnquist died and lay in repose for two days.
Details of Scalia’s memorial were first reported by NPR News.
Scalia, who died Saturday from a heart attack while on vacation in Texas, is also being remembered by the court in other, more traditional ways. Scalia’s bench chair, the bench in front of it, and the door to the courtroom itself have all been draped in black, a custom the Supreme Court dates back to the passing of Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase in 1873. The flags on the court’s plaza will also be flown at half-staff for a month.
Scalia’s memorial at the court Friday will begin at 9:30 AM with a private ceremony. His body, which is currently at a Fairfax funeral home, will be received by the remaining justices, who will line up on the Supreme Court’s steps. A public viewing will follow from 10:30 AM to 8 PM, the court says.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
