outside the line began forming hours before the mo reminiscent for the one for chief justice william rehnquist when he died in 2005. >> just to come up to honor a man who is serving the country. >> reporter: for scalia that service at the court included being the standard bearer for conservatism. the reagan appointee was the longest serving justice and his opinions on and off the bench were animated and often controversial. >> you do what you do and when usual dead, you know, you say you always honor the dead. >> reporter: and that was the order of this day. black mourning cloth aborned scalia's seat on the bench. flags out the court and around the city at half-staff. >> it's very somber. he was a great man. he was a legal giant. i feel really honored to have had the opportunity to say good-bye. >> reporter: and while the country and often the court would cleave along partisan lines on social issues, larry from falls church says the more liberal counterparts show what it stood for. >> to be good natured and yet disagree. it's very important. and i think in a 5-4 decision, obviously i