CHIEF Justice John Roberts has said the words that best describe the late judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg are “tough, brave, a fighter, a winner” but also “thoughtful, careful, compassionate, honest”.
He spoke during a private ceremony in the Great Hall of the Supreme Court yesterday.
Afterwards, Ginsburg’s flag-draped casket was placed at the top of the court’s front steps so the public can pay their respects to the second woman to serve on the Supreme Court. Thousands of people were expected to pay tribute throughout the day to the women’s rights champion, who died last week at 87.
“Her voice in court and in our conference room was soft but when she spoke, people listened,” Roberts said.
READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon pays tribute to women's rights pioneer Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Ginsburg’s casket arrived at the court at 9.30am local time and was carried into the court’s Great Hall, past her former law clerks who lined the steps. Inside, the court’s remaining eight justices, all of them wearing masks, were together for the first time since the building was closed in March and they resorted to meetings by telephone.
Because of the pandemic, chairs for the justices were spaced apart.
Ginsburg will lie in repose for two days at the court where she served for 27 years and, before that, argued six cases for gender equality in the 1970s.
Her casket was on public view from 11am to 10pm yesterday, and will be again from 9am to 10pm today. Nearly 500 members of the public gathered to pay their respects yesterday morning.
Since her death on Friday evening, people have been leaving flowers, notes, placards and all manner of paraphernalia outside the court in tribute to the judge who became known in her final years as the Notorious RBG.
Court workers cleared away the items and cleaned the court plaza pavement in advance of yesterday’s ceremony.
Inside, the entrance to the courtroom, along with Ginsburg’s chair and place on the bench next to Roberts, has been draped in black, a long-standing court custom.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here