Jimmy Carter to lie in state at US Capitol, funeral set for Jan. 9

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden said late Sunday that former President Jimmy Carter's funeral at the Washington National Cathedral is scheduled for Jan. 9, the Associated Press reports. The services will be held at 10 a.m., according to a Joint Task Force release obtained by The Washington Post. 

The Carter Center said in a statement Monday that the Carter family received and accepted an invitation for Carter to lie in state in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in D.C. 

"This will allow an opportunity for the American people to pay their respects to President Carter," said the center. 

Carter died at his Georgia home on Sunday, Dec. 29 at the age of 100. Carter served as the 39th President of the United States and was known for his enduring commitment to philanthropy and humanitarian work. 

Biden also declared Jan. 9 as a National Day of Mourning. In the proclamation, Biden called on Americans to "assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter, Jr." 

Multiple observances of Carter's death are expected in coming days in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C.

"The final arrangements for President Carter’s state funeral, including all public events and motorcade routes, are still pending," according to the Carter Center. 

The former president will be interred privately in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, to which he returned after serving as president from 1977 to 1981. 

Why are flags at half-staff? 

Biden ordered that all American flags fly at half-staff for 30 days following the death of former President Jimmy Carter. 

What happens when a president dies? 

Presidential funerals can take years to plan out and the details are usually kept secret between close family members and the U.S. Army Military District of Washington. 

The arrangements are not announced until after a president dies.

Detailed plans for Carter's funeral have not been announced at this time. Biden said Sunday that he would be ordering an official state funeral to be held in Washington, D.C. 

The president, former presidents and president-elect are all entitled to a state funeral, but then family decides if they actually get one, or just how involved it will be.

The family will provide details of the funeral plans to the Washington Military District, which is in charge of implementing them.

At this time, the Carter Center says public observances will be held in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. as well as a burial and funeral in his hometown of Plains, Georgia.

Each president’s final resting place is among the details they include in their plans. Most have chosen locations in their home states; only two presidents are buried at Arlington National Cemetery: Kennedy and William Howard Taft.

What occurs in Washington, D.C. unfolds according to guidelines that date back to the mid-1800s and have been reshaped over time. 

They often involve funeral processions down Pennsylvania Avenue, lying in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda and a memorial service. 

What happened to Jimmy Carter? 

In 2015, Carter announced shattering news about his health. He candidly spoke about his battle with liver and brain cancer. 

"Now I feel it’s in the hands of God, who I worship, and I’ll be prepared for anything that comes," he said.

Extensive treatment followed and he was declared cancer-free in December 2015. 

In 2019, Carter suffered several falls, one requiring hip replacement surgery. Another led to a fractured pelvis. In November of that year, he had to undergo surgery to relieve bleeding on his brain related to the falls.

But Carter remained active well into his 90s, continuing to lead Sunday School classes at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains and to help build Habitat for Humanity houses for those in need.

He had been receiving at-home hospice care for nearly two years at the time of his death.

The Carter Center confirmed his death, saying he died peacefully at his home in Plains, surrounded by his family. He was the longest-lived president in U.S. history.