Thousands of mourners are expected to attend the public viewings for a longtime lawmaker Donald Payne Sr., the first black congressional member from New Jersey, who died last week.

Payne, 77, died last Tuesday after battling colon cancer.

His public viewing starts at 1 p.m. Monday and continues overnight until 9 a.m. Tuesday at the Essex County Courthouse in Newark.

Superior Court cases scheduled there Monday are being relocated, and a section of Martin Luther King Boulevard in Newark will be closed through Tuesday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

Another public viewing will take place from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Metropolitan Baptist Church.

Payne's funeral will then be held there Wednesday, followed by burial at Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield, N.J.

Donald Payne Jr., the Congressman's son, has been the most widely mentioned name to replace him. He is president of the Newark City Council and an Essex County Freeholder.

Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver's name has also surfaced as a possible successor as has Newark City Councilman Ron Rice. 

Payne Sr. became the first African-American to represent the state of New Jersey in Congress in 1988.

With reporting by Bob Hennelly