WASHINGTON (Nexstar) — As in life, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg made history in death as the first woman and the first Jewish person to lie in state at the US Capitol.
Democratic nominee Joe Biden, his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris and Democratic leaders Sen. Chuck Schumer and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi were among those in attendance, as was Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro.
“Ruth Ginsburg changed our country and she changed the world,” DeLauro said.
Republican leaders Sen. Mitch McConnell and Republican House leader Kevin McCarthy were not in attendance.
Ginsburg’s memorial at the Capitol was held as the battle to fill her Supreme Court seat heats up.
President Trump said he will announce his nominee on Saturday. Top contenders are Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a favorite among conservatives who hope to overturn Roe v Wade, and Judge Barbara Lagoa, a Cuban-American who could help Trump appeal to Hispanic voters.
Republican senators will move forward to confirm the president’s choice against the wishes of Democrats.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being remembered for her lifelong battle for gender equality, the decisions she won and even those she lost.
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, who did the eulogy at the Capitol, quoted Ginsburg: “The greatest dissents do become court opinions and gradually, over time, their views become the dominant view.”
At the conclusion of the service, the women of Congress paid tribute to Justice Ginsburg.
