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O'Connor, a centrist on the court who was appointed by
Republican President Ronald Reagan in 1981, served until her
retirement in 2006. Her body will lie in repose inside the
court's Great Hall, with the public invited to pay their
respects starting at 10:30 a.m. (1530 GMT). A private ceremony
is planned before the public viewing begins.
O'Connor died in Phoenix, Arizona, of complications related to
advanced dementia and a respiratory illness. She had been
diagnosed with dementia and announced in October 2018 that she
was withdrawing from public life.
Although a conservative, she became the court's ideological
center. Her knack for building consensus helped her control
decisions on the most contentious issues of her era.
She created a critical alliance in 1992 to affirm the central
holding in Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that made abortion
legal nationwide. She also was a crucial vote in 2003 to uphold
campus affirmative action policies that were used to increase
the number of underrepresented minority students at American
colleges.
The Supreme Court, which now has had a 6-3 conservative
majority, overturned the landmark Roe ruling in 2022, and in
June struck down race-conscious admissions programs in higher
education, effectively prohibiting affirmative action.
After leaving the bench, O'Connor dedicated herself to improving
civics education, starting a group called iCivics that provided
free online resources for middle school and high school
students.
Monday's tribute will include Supreme Court police officers
serving on the casket team, with honorary pallbearers designated
by the family. The casket will be placed on the Lincoln
Catafalque, a pine board platform covered in black cloth that
was used to support President Abraham Lincoln's coffin when he
lay in state in the Capitol's Rotunda after his assassination in
1865.
The catafalque was loaned to the court by the U.S. Congress for
the ceremony. A 1999 portrait of O'Connor by Danni Dawson will
be on display in the hall. The public viewing will continue
until 8 p.m. (0100 GMT).
A private funeral will be held for O'Connor at the Washington
National Cathedral on Tuesday.
(Reporting by Andrew Chung; Editing by Andy Sullivan and
Jonathan Oatis)
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