On Friday, Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman in American history to lie in state in the US Capitol, 168 years after the first man to do so.
The mood in the capital was somber and reverential. In the late supreme court justice, the city had not only lost an icon but “a 40-year resident, a meticulous, familiar, and revered part of the daily landscape”, according to DCist.
An extraordinary scene unfolded on Wednesday when Ginsburg’s flag-draped casket arrived to lie in repose atop the court steps. Dozens and dozens of people who had clerked for her stood in even spacing upon the steps, stock still, dressed in black and wearing masks.
Meanwhile, memorials sprouted around the city. A mural of Ginsburg, painted by Rose Jaffe, in downtown Washington became one of the more popular sites to pay tribute. It was covered with notes signed by admirers.
Some mourners, such as Ragen Gray, 22, pictured in a red suit, had come all the way from Dallas to Washington to pay tribute. “I’m feeling really scared. I understand what it means to have a conservative majority on supreme court,” she said. “It’s terrifying.” A Maryland resident, Leslie Gentry, in a gray sweater, agreed: “I was sad to see her leave the world at this time. I’m scared for what her death means. Especially for women.”
After a service inside the building, Ginsburg’s casket was on display outdoors until Friday morning, as people filed past to pay their respects. Troops in full dress uniform carried the casket down the court steps to the nearby Capitol for another private service before Ginsburg lay in state.
That afternoon, Ginsburg was transferred to a hearse and a motorcade escorted her to Arlington national cemetery, where she was to be buried next to her husband, Marty.
Soon after, the crowds around the US Capitol dissipated: there was little to be seen besides the remnants of numerous memorials, and a group from Seattle praying for the good of the country as the flag flew at half-staff.
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