NOEL KING, HOST:
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's casket, draped in a flag, arrived at the court this morning. Her family, close friends and members of the court were there. This is the start of three days of memorials in her honor. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt opened the ceremony with a Jewish prayer.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
LAUREN HOLTZBLATT: (Speaking Hebrew).
To be born into a world that does not see you, that does not believe in your potential, that does not give you a path for opportunity or a clear path for education, and despite this, to be able to see beyond the world you are in, to imagine that something can be different - that is the job of a prophet. And it is the rare prophet who not only imagines a new world but also makes that new world a reality in her lifetime. This was the brilliance and vision of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
KING: Then Chief Justice John Roberts spoke.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
JOHN ROBERTS: Her 483 majority, concurring and dissenting opinions will steer the court for decades. They are written with the unaffected grace of precision. Her voice in court and in our conference room was soft, but when she spoke, people listened.
KING: Justice Ginsburg's family, close friends and members of the Supreme Court are now in a private ceremony inside the Court's great hall. And then later today, her casket will be placed at the top of the court's front steps so the public can pay their respects.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.