Speaker of the House Mike Johnson announced on Friday that he was denying a request from the family of former Democratic presidential candidate and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson to allow Jackson to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda.
There was an immediate reaction from many on the left.
BREAKING NEWS from #RolandMartinUnfiltered: House Speaker Mike Johnson has denied a request from Democrats and the family of Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. For him to lie-in-state at the US Capitol, citing a recent rule change that the honor only be reserved for former presidents. In… pic.twitter.com/27Z8qzRZ4f
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 20, 2026
However, Johnson was absolutely right to deny the Jackson family's request to allow his body to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda.
There are very strict protocols governing who can lie in state. Even former Vice President Dick Cheney was denied that honor. Generally, the honor is reserved for presidents, noted military leaders, and select government officials. Rosa Parks, a world-historical figure, was a notable exception, as was Rep. John Lewis.
A world-historical figure is typically defined as someone whose actions or character fundamentally alter the course of history or embody a significant historical shift. Parks fits this criterion through several key contributions: she was a catalyst for global, non-violent protest, a symbol of human rights, and a long-standing community activist who connected the grassroots to national and international movements.
Rep. John Lewis was one of the few congressmen to be afforded the honor of lying in state. He, too, was a figure of enormous historical importance, offering his body and life in a way that changed the course of American and world history.
It should be noted that the Parks family was given permission to have the body lie in state by the Republican Speaker of the House at the time, Dennis Hastert.
Of course, Donald Trump was a friend of Jackson, working with him on several local issues in New York City. “I knew him well, long before becoming President. He was a good man, with lots of personality, grit, and ‘street smarts,'” the president recalled. Trump also said, “Jesse was a force of nature like few others before him.”
One of the sources told CNN that the decision to reject the request to lie in honor – which had been made on behalf of Jackson’s family – was in keeping with precedent and was not political. The source said that requests for conservative political activist Charlie Kirk and former Vice President Dick Cheney were also denied, and that the general practice is for presidents, select military officials and select government officials to lie in honor. It was last done for former President Jimmy Carter.
Lying in honor generally involves laying the casket of the deceased in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, where the public can come and offer final respects.
Former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., specifically requested that politics be kept out of the proceedings in memory of his father.
“Do not bring your politics, out of respect to Reverend Jesse Jackson and the life that he lived, to these homegoing services,” he said in a statement to the press. He added, “These homegoing services are welcome to all: Democrat, Republican, liberal and conservative, right wing, left wing — because his life is broad enough to cover the full spectrum of what it means to be an American.”
Jesse Jackson never held elected office, was never appointed to a cabinet post, and never represented the United States in any official capacity. He was an activist, at times an effective one, but that hardly recommends him for the highest honor America can bestow.
Republicans, by and large, have been respectful of Jackson's accomplishments, although critical of his legacy. That's the times we live in.
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