Obama to Skip Justice Antonin Scalia's Funeral

President Barack Obama won't be attending the funeral of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, scheduled to take place Saturday.

The president and first lady will go to the Supreme Court Friday and pay their respects. Scalia's body will lie in repose in the court's Great Hall from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.

That will be followed by the funeral Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, the nation's largest Catholic church. Vice President Joe Biden and his wife will be in attendance.

The White House didn't say if the president had a schedule conflict that would keep him from attending the funeral.

"I don't have a sense of what the president's plans are for Saturday," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters Wednesday, adding that he would have more details later.

"The president obviously believes it's important for the institution of the presidency to pay his respects to somebody who dedicated three decades of his life to the institution of the Supreme Court," he added.

"And the president gave some pretty thoughtful words in discussing Justice Scalia's service on the Supreme Court, not just Saturday night but also yesterday in his news conference," he said.

"And Friday will be an important opportunity for the president and the first lady to pay their respects to Justice Scalia," he said.