Begin to gather

Crowds begin to gather at Supreme Court to say goodbye to Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Robert Barnes, Jessica Contrera and Samantha Schmidt

The justices of the Supreme Court and a throng of mourners expected to number in the thousands will honor Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Wednesday, filing by her casket at the top of the steps of the grand building where she built her reputation as a crusading litigator for women's rights and then for nearly three decades as a justice.

Her colleagues, dispersed to home offices since the coronavirus pandemic closed the Supreme Court in March, will gather with Ginsburg's family and close friends for a private ceremony in the Great Hall. Then her casket will be moved to the portico for an open-air viewing.

While in the recent past, justices have lain in repose for one day, the extraordinary services planned for Ginsburg recognize the importance of only the second woman to serve on the high court and one who, in her 80s, became something of a cultural icon.

Her casket will be placed on the Lincoln catafalque, built for President Abraham Lincoln's casket in 1865. A 2016 portrait of the justice by Constance P. Beaty will be on display.

By dawn, a dozen people were already waiting. Four of them had spent the night outside the court, dozing on camping chairs.

"She's touched every aspect of our lives," said Mary Migues-Jordan, a 55-year-old attorney from Maryland who was the first in line beside her wife, Vicki. They arrived at 9:45 Tuesday night. "People keep asking me if I'm okay, because they know how much she means to me."

Behind them, the line grew as the sun rose, with lawyers, college students, a Coast Guard officer and a counselor settling in on the sidewalk. They came from as far as Vermont and Louisiana, flying and driving all night to be here for this moment.

"When I was a younger man, I waited out all night for concert tickets," said Doug Smith, 53, who had arrived from Pennsylvania at 10 p.m. with his daughter. "And this woman is a definition of a rock star. So yeah, waiting out all night for her? I can do that."

The viewing at the Supreme Court will last until 11 p.m. Wednesday and then resume Thursday at 9 a.m.