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Retired Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens died at the age of 99 on July 15, 2019. He died from complications of a stroke. His lying in repose ceremony is Monday and his funeral is on Tuesday. Read on to learn more about his funeral schedule this week.
Stevens’ Lying in Repose Ceremony is on Monday, July 22
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Stevens’ will have a public lying in repose ceremony at the Supreme Court’s Great Hall on Monday, July 22. The ceremony will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, when the public can come and pay their respects in person, The Hill reported.
Before the public ceremony, a private ceremony will take place at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. At that time, his casket will be placed on the Lincoln Catafalque. Some of his former law clerks will serve as honorary pallbearers, USA Today reported.
The last time the Great Hall was opened for mourners was when Justice Antonin Scalia died in 2016, Time reported.
What is the difference between the terms lying in repose, lying in state, and lying in honor? Lying in repose typically refers to when the casket of someone of high stature, such as a government official, can be publicly viewed in a building other than the Rotunda, so the public can pay their respects. Lying in honor is reserved only for private citizens, who are given the honor of having their casket placed in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda for public viewing. This honor was given to Billy Graham when he died.
Lying in state, meanwhile, is a rare honor reserved for select elected officials and military officers. They are granted the honor of having their casket placed in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol for public viewing. Customarily, only Presidents, military commanders, and members of Congress lie in state. For Presidents and former Presidents, the honor is automatic.
Stevens’ Private Funeral is on Tuesday, July 23
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A private funeral will be held for Stevens on Tuesday, July 23, The Hill reported. This funeral service will take place at Arlington National Cemetery, but it will not be open to the public.
Stevens will be the 13th Supreme Court justice buried at the cemetery, USA Today reported. Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s husband, Martin Ginsburg, was buried at the cemetery in 2010.
Stevens’ burial will be in “Section 5,” which is below President John F. Kennedy’s grave.
Stevens Leaves Behind Two Living Children, 9 Grandchildren & 13 Great-Grandchildren
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Sadly, although Stevens had four children, only two of his children were still alive when he died. John Joseph Stevens died in 1996 of cancer when he was only 47. Kathryn Jedlicka, Stevens’ daughter, died a year before her father in March 2018. His living daughter Elizabeth Sesemann is married to Craig Sesemann. She and her dad had a loving relationship where she could even joke about advice gave about drinking on a tough day. His other living daughter, Susan Roberta Mullen, is a lawyer married to Kevin Mullen. Susan was having breakfast with BIll Mears, who was the CNN Supreme Court producer, when news broke of her father’s retirement, CNN reported
Justice Stevens also leaves behind nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren who loved him dearly.