Representative John Lewis to lie in state at Capitol Rotunda
The late Representative John Lewis will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda on Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced Thursday.
An invitation-only ceremony will be held for the late civil rights icon on Monday at 1:30 p.m. The public will have have an opportunity to pay their respects on Monday and Tuesday on the front steps of the Capitol with social distancing and masks.
The Lewis family also intends to hold a procession through Washington, D.C., so more people can pay their respects.
On Monday, the public viewing line will begin at 6 p.m. and continue until 10 p.m. On Tuesday, the public viewing line will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Lewis died last week at 80 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Lying in state is an honor reserved for revered politicians and icons. In October, another civil rights leader, Representative Elijah Cummings, became the first African-American lawmaker to lie in state.
Lewis, who served Georgia's Fifth Congressional District in Congress from 1987 until his death, was the last surviving member of the Big Six civil rights activists led by Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.