House Speaker Mike Johnson denies request for Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor at U.S. Capitol

House Speaker Mike Johnson has denied a request for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. to lie in honor at the United States Capitol, according to sources familiar with the decision.

Jackson, a towering civil rights leader who died this week at age 84, was widely praised across the political spectrum for his decades of activism and influence in American politics. The request for the honor was made on behalf of his family, but officials say the decision follows established precedent rather than political considerations.

Traditionally, lying in honor at the Capitol Rotunda is reserved for presidents, select military leaders, and certain high-ranking government officials. Sources noted that similar requests for other prominent figures, including conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney, were also denied. The most recent person to receive the honor was former President Jimmy Carter.

The tradition allows the public to pay final respects as the casket is placed in the Capitol Rotunda, one of the nation’s most symbolic ceremonial spaces.

Jackson’s family has announced alternative arrangements. He will lie in repose at Rainbow PUSH headquarters in Chicago before memorial services take place in South Carolina, his home state, and in Washington, D.C.

Jackson rose to national prominence during the civil rights movement as a close associate of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He later founded the Rainbow Coalition, an alliance that helped shape a broader, more inclusive Democratic Party and influenced generations of political activism.

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