WASHINGTON (LEX 18) — Floyd County native Cara Stewart packed her bags after a long day of work on Tuesday and drove 500 miles overnight to Washington D.C. with the goal of saying goodbye in person to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
“It was fast and it was furious and we all sort of had to balance a lot of things and figure out how to meet up, but we pulled it off and I would do it again in a heartbeat,” Stewart said.
Stewart and a friend arrived at the U.S. Supreme Court hours before the ceremony began.
“It was eerie and very quiet. We had quite of bit of very quiet time and talked about the Supreme Court. But we were mostly just quiet, and we grieved and thought about our admiration,” she said.
Stewart said she’s spent a lot of time since Ginsburg’s death in quiet reflection about the Supreme Court Justice’s legacy.
“Gosh, I just get instantly emotional thinking about it because she dedicated her life in such an efficient way to justice and just did so much for our lives. I mean so much of our everyday lives she directly affected and made possible for us.”
Ginsburg is lying in repose at the U.S. Supreme Court until Thursday.
“It was very moving to be able to just be that close and feel like we were part of the ceremony honoring her,” Stewart said.
Stewart said she’s also been thinking a lot about the kind of life Ginsburg led and how she used the "law as a tool for justice." She said it gives her hope for the future.
“It makes things seem possible, like, we can use the law for justice, and we can demand equity,” she said.
On Friday, Ginsburg will become the first Jewish woman to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
She is expected to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery next week alongside her late husband, Martin Ginsburg.
