Speaker Mike Johnson Rejects Request for Rev. Jesse Jackson to Lie in Honor at U.S. Capitol

By Emmanuel Bobby

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has denied a request for the late Rev. Jesse Jackson to lie in honor in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, according to two sources familiar with the decision. Jackson’s family submitted the request after the civil rights icon and two-time presidential candidate died Tuesday at the age of 84. The development was first reported by CNN.

Lying in state or in honor at the Capitol is considered one of the nation’s highest tributes and is typically reserved for individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the United States. The honor is most often granted to former presidents, top government officials, and military leaders, although a small number of private citizens have also received the recognition.

A Republican leadership source said Johnson based his decision on historical precedent, noting that the honor has generally been limited to former presidents, senior military figures, and high-ranking public officials. The source added that recent requests for former Vice President Dick Cheney and conservative activist Charlie Kirk to lie in honor were also denied, reflecting what GOP leaders describe as a restrictive approach to the tradition.

Despite that precedent, several private citizens have been honored in the Capitol Rotunda. Civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks lay in honor in 2005, and Capitol Police officers killed in the 1998 shooting and in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack were similarly honored. Evangelist Rev. Billy Graham lay in honor in 2018. The most recent person to lie in state in the Rotunda was former President Jimmy Carter, who was honored from Jan. 7 to Jan. 9, 2025.

Typically, granting the honor requires approval from both the Speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader, followed by the passage of a concurrent resolution by both the House and Senate. Johnson’s refusal effectively blocks the process from moving forward.

Rev. Jesse Jackson rose to national prominence during the Civil Rights Movement, working closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and participating in major demonstrations advocating racial justice and equality. He later became a leading political figure, running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988, helping to expand the party’s coalition and inspire a generation of Black political leaders. Two of his sons followed him into politics: former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., who served from 1995 to 2012 and is now running for Congress again, and Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., who currently represents Illinois in the House.

The decision drew swift backlash from civil rights leaders and Black political figures, who criticized Johnson’s move as disrespectful and politically motivated. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson condemned the decision, saying it reflected a lack of respect for both Jackson’s legacy and the nation’s democratic ideals.

“Mike Johnson will defend a president who wants to unlawfully nationalize elections, but won’t authorize a civil rights legend to lie in honor. That tells you everything you need to know about Mike Johnson and his gross disregard for our Constitution and our democracy,” Derrick Johnson said in a statement.

He added that Rev. Jackson’s message of hope and unity remains relevant today. “Rev. Jesse Jackson preached to all Americans to ‘Keep Hope Alive’ and to dream of a nation where all people are treated with dignity and respect. No message could be more fitting for all Americans to embrace at this time,” he said.

The controversy has reignited debate over who qualifies for the nation’s highest posthumous honors and whether civil rights leaders and social justice figures should be treated on par with political and military leaders in the Capitol’s historic traditions.