Mourners pay respects to late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia
WASHINGTON -- Dignitaries and tourists alike are flocking to the Supreme Court on Friday to pay tribute to the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
Scalia's casket lies in repose on the Lincoln catafalque in the court's Great Hall as mourners file through during a daylong remembrance honoring one of the court's most influential members.
The justice's former law clerks will take turns standing vigil by their former boss throughout the day and night in a tradition most recently observed after the 2005 death of former Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
Scalia's casket arrived Friday morning, with Supreme Court police carrying it up the marble steps. Scalia's former clerks followed as honorary pallbearers.
After the private ceremony, Scalia's casket will be on public view from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
The president and first lady paid their respects Friday afternoon and met privately with some members of Justice Scalia's family, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. The president and Mrs. Obama "extended their personal condolences on behalf of the nation, and expressed gratitude for Justice Scalia's decades of public service," Earnest said.
Father Paul Scalia, Justice Scalia's son, will deliver the homily at the funeral mass on Saturday. The service will be held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
Scalia died Saturday at age 79. He joined the court in 1986 and was its longest-serving justice. He sat to the right of Chief Justice John Roberts, the seat given to the senior justice. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Jane, nine children and 36 grandchildren.