Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg broke two more barriers on Friday as she became the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol.
Ginsburg died a week ago at age 87 after decades of fighting for gender equality. She lay in repose at the Supreme Court on Wednesday and Thursday, and on Friday, her casket was carried up the stairs of the Capitol building and into its Statuary Hall.
Unlike pre-pandemic viewings at the Capitol, only invited guests were allowed into the Statuary hall for the brief service. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) led a wave of Democrats — including Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris — who paid their respects to Ginsburg's casket. And while House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) made an appearance, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) declined to come, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) didn't show up either.
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