C-SPAN to Air Coverage of Scalia Lying in Repose at Supreme Court

PHOTO: Supreme Court building, government photo; the pine boards forming the catafalque are those that held Lincoln’s coffin. Following the precedent set by Lincoln’s lying in state, the catafalque has been preserved and honored, used only to hold the coffins of presidents and others deemed by the Congress to be worthy of laying in state in the Rotunda, or used in the Supreme Court for Justices. Photo courtesy of Architect of the Capitol’s Office

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WASHINGTON, DC -- President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, Supreme Court Justices, and the general public will pay their respects Friday to the late Justice Antonin Scalia, after the arrival of his remains to lie in repose at the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C.

C-SPAN will provide coverage of those services from the Great Hall of the Supreme Court. The casket will arrive in front of the Court just before 9:30 a.m., the Court said Thursday. A motorcade bearing the body of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice will makes its way to the U.S. Supreme Court from Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home in Fairfax, Va.

Scalia, who was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan in 1986 and served as a reliably conservative lightning rod throughout his tenure, was found dead Saturday at a luxury resort in West Texas, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed. He was 79.

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On Friday, U.S. Supreme Court police officers will serve as pallbearers and former law clerks to the Justice will serve as honorary pallbearers. The casket will be placed in the Great Hall on the Lincoln Catafalque, which has been loaned to the Court by the U.S. Congress for the ceremony, the Court said Thursday.

Following the precedent set by Lincoln’s lying in state, the catafalque has been preserved and honored, used only to hold the coffins of presidents and others deemed by the Congress to be worthy of laying in state in the Rotunda, or used in the Supreme Court for Justices, according to the Architect of the Capitol’s Office. Although the black cloth has been replaced many times and some of the wood structure reinforced, the pine boards forming the catafalque are those that held Lincoln’s coffin.

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A 2007 portrait of Justice Scalia by Nelson Shanks will be on display in the Great Hall, the Court said.

C-SPAN will cover the ceremony in the Great Hall beginning at 9:15 a.m., offering their feed to other networks, and throughout the day. Visit C-SPAN online for more information about their coverage.

Once the 9:30 a.m. private ceremony has concluded, the public will be invited to pay respects from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m. The public line will form on the sidewalk in front of the Court (on the East Capital Street side -- see map below) and the public will enter the building via the visitor entrance. The Supreme Court building will be open for official business only on Friday, Feb. 19, while Justice Scalia lies in repose in the Great Hall, the Court said.

Funeral

The funeral Mass for Scalia, for friends and family members, will be held Saturday, Feb. 20, at 11 a.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, 400 Michigan Avenue, NE. Parking is extremely limited and attendees are encouraged to use public transit. The closest Metro stop is Brookland-CUA on the Red Line. The Basilica is approximately a one-third mile walk on Michigan Avenue.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of the following organizations:

• Supreme Court Historical Society, http://www.supremecourthistory.org
• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, http://www.ccda.net
• Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, http://benedictinesofmary.org

The burial will be private.