NEWARK, New Jersey (WABC) — New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver will lie in state in Newark at the Essex County Historic Courthouse.
Her casket is expected to arrive from Trenton between 9 and 10 a.m.
It is a final trip back home for the Newark native.
Her funeral will take place, also in Newark, on Saturday.
Thursday, her flag draped casket laid in state at the New Jersey State House Rotunda in Trenton.
Governor Phil Murphy and first lady Tammy Murphy attended a private visitation before the public was allowed in.
They’ll be in Newark Friday as well, along with other her colleagues, family, and community members.
The trailblazing lawmaker died last week after she was admitted to the hospital with an undisclosed medical issue.
On Saturday, there will be a funeral at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark where Rev. Al Sharpton will deliver her eulogy.
Murphy ordered flags to be flown at half-staff for a month and commissioned a portrait of her that he said would hang in the statehouse.
“As we continue to remember the life and service of Lieutenant Governor Oliver, I am deeply moved to announce the commissioning of a portrait that will stand as a testament to her legacy,” said Governor Murphy. “Sheila’s unwavering dedication to the people of New Jersey has left an enduring mark on our state, one that will be immortalized in the halls of our State House forever.”
In addition to serving as Murphy’s top deputy, stepping in while he was out of the state, Oliver also oversaw the Department of Community Affairs, which coordinates state aid to towns and cities and supervises code enforcement.
In 2021, she signed a bill that established a pilot program to overhaul the state’s juvenile justice system in four cities and that aimed to reintegrate young people into their communities. Another measure she signed in 2021 revived a defunct fund for “urban enterprise zones” aimed at driving economic development in cities through lower sales tax rates.
The state constitution requires Murphy to name a successor within 45 days of the vacancy. He so far has not nominated anyone.
Senate President Nicholas Scutari will serve as acting governor if Murphy leaves the state or is incapacitated in the interim.
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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