Former President Jimmy Carter will lie in state in the Capitol’s rotunda at the invitation of congressional leaders, the Carter Center announced Monday.
The memorial services and honors for former president Carter are expected to span several days and include public events in Atlanta and Washington, followed by a private burial ceremony in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.
Days for public viewing of Carter’s casket at the Capitol have not been announced, but the Carter Center confirmed that plans are underway. President Joe Biden has already announced a proclamation declaring a National Day of Mourning on Jan. 9, which could coincide with lying in state or the large public funeral service expected in Washington. He also ordered U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days on federal buildings, military posts and naval stations, as well as all naval vessels.
It is customary for the Capitol to be open around the clock to allow visitors to pay respects to former presidents. At the conclusion of the public viewing, Carter’s body would then be taken to the state funeral, likely at the National Cathedral. Since Congress approved the cathedral’s charter in 1893, nearly all memorial services for U.S. presidents have been held there.
“We’re going to do a major service in Washington, D.C.,” Biden said Sunday. “That’s a formal procedure that’s underway.”
A concurrent resolution is required from the House and Senate to approve the use of the rotunda and the Lincoln catafalque for a lying in state ceremony. Those could be taken up this week and are usually cleared without controversy or objection.
Capitol Hill is heading into a month of heightened security with both the certification of the presidential election results on Jan. 6 and President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 designated as national special security events. Fencing is already going up around the Capitol complex in anticipation of those events.
The elevated security posture may impact how the public is allowed to enter the Capitol to pay respects to Carter. The last former president to lie in state was George H.W. Bush in 2018, which drew thousands of mourners. Capitol security and operations personnel are familiar with hosting major events in shifting circumstances. Multiple lying in honor ceremonies were held during the Covid-19 pandemic.
