January 9th is a national day of mourning for Jimmy Carter: What’s closed for the holiday, including stock markets and post offices

U.S. stock markets, federal offices, and the post office will remain closed next Thursday, January 9 to honor former President Jimmy Carter, the country’s 39th president, who died Sunday at his home in Plains, Georgia at the age of 100.

President Joe Biden issued an executive order earlier this week closing federal offices for a National Day of Mourning, for Carter’s official state funeral at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. As is customary, Biden ordered flags fly at half staff for the next 30 days.

The New York Stock Exchange will close, and the Nasdaq said it would close all U.S. equities and options markets, but that bond markets would remain open till 2 p.m. ET. The Supreme Court will be closed, though it’s not in session. Banks and other businesses are expected to remain open.

Is January 9th a federal holiday? Do I have off work?

January 9 is a holiday for all federal employees, except those who are exempt, but it’s not a national holiday for the rest of us. For those who work in the financial field, who normally do not work when the markets are closed, talk to your supervisor and find out if you have the day off.

Who was Jimmy Carter and why was he so beloved?

“President Carter was a man of character, courage, and compassion, whose lifetime of service defined him as one of the most influential statesmen in our history,” Biden said in a White House statement. “He embodied the very best of America: A humble servant of God and the people. A heroic champion of global peace and human rights, and an honorable leader whose moral clarity and hopeful vision lifted our Nation and changed our world.”

The son of a farmer and a nurse, Carter served in the Navy Reserves during the Second World War, returning home to manage his family’s peanut farm in Georgia following his father’s death. A humanitarian, man of faith, public servant, and lifelong Democrat, he served as a Georgia state senator, the state’s 76th governor, and ultimately president of the United States from 1977 to 1981.

In 2002, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.

As is customary for current and former living presidents, President-elect Donald Trump, who often criticized Carter, said he planned to attend the state funeral, likely alongside his predecessors Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and President Biden, all Democrats who have been deeply critical of Trump.