Former Florida Chief Justice Stephen Grimes to lie in state Wednesday

Former Chief Justice Stephen H. Grimes

Former Florida Chief Justice Stephen H. Grimes, will lie in state in the rotunda of the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday, September 15, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. local time. The event is open to all who want to pay their respects.

Grimes, 93, died Friday in Tallahassee. He was the 72nd Justice on the Florida Supreme Court and its 46^th Chief Justice since Florida achieved statehood in 1845.

Justice Stephen H. Grimes Lying in State. September 15, 2021.

A Lying in State is a longstanding tradition at Florida’s highest court to honor current or former Justices at the time of their burials. By custom, the ceremony is held for the two-hour period at the noon hour on a day chosen by a late Justice’s family, if they request the service.

A Florida Highway Patrol honor guard will carry the casket into the Court and place it behind the official seal embedded in the floor of the rotunda. At that point, current Chief Justice Charles Canady will deliver a brief eulogy as he and other members of the Court gather to honor their predecessor.

After the Lying in State, a funeral service will follow at 2:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Anglican Cathedral in Tallahassee, with a reception afterwards at the church. Arrangements are by Bevis Funeral Home in Tallahassee.

Grimes served on the state’s highest court from 1987 to 1997. He led the state courts system as its Chief Justice from 1994 to 1996.

A live broadcast feed of the Lying in State will be available on the Court’s website and its Facebook and YouTube pages.