Other states will fly flags at full-staff for Trump’s inauguration. Will Ohio follow suit?
Flying the flag at half-staff is not just an honorary gesture. The U.S. Flag Code mandates it following a president’s death, and Ohio intends to keep the state flags lowered in memory of President Jimmy Carter.
President Biden honored President Jimmy Carter in a proclamation issued on Dec. 29.
The current president said this of the late president, “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. 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.”
Despite other states’ decisions to raise the flag for the inauguration, Ohio will maintain the flag at half-staff in honor of President Jimmy Carter’s passing.
As of the publication of this article, Texas, Iowa and Alabama have opted to raise the flag early, and Speaker Mike Johnson stated that flags at the U.S. Capitol will be flown at full-staff for the inauguration
Texas Governor Greg Abbot made the announcement Monday, saying, “While we honor the service of a former President, we must also celebrate the service of an incoming President and the bright future ahead for the United States of America.”
One of the conservative three-term Texas governor’s advisors reports that the flags will resume half-staff status on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
What are the rules for the flag following a death or tragedy?
According to the National Flag Foundation, there are specific guidelines for the flag in times of mourning and remembrance, and the first known instance of lowering the flag came in 1799, following the death of George Washington.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower formally codified the practice with a presidential proclamation in 1954 for all government buildings and the practice has become a valued American tradition since.
The length of time the flag should be flown at half-staff depends on the occasion:
30 days: Death of a president or former president
10 days: Death of a vice president, chief justice, retired chief justice, or speaker of the House of Representatives
From death until interment: For an associate justice of the Supreme Court, secretary of an executive or military department, former vice president, or governor of a state, territory or possession
Day of death and following day: For a member of Congress
In addition to deaths of government figures, the flag should also be flown half-staff for the following dates:
Peace Officers Memorial Day (May 15)
Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
Korean War Veterans Day (July 27)
Patriot Day (Sept. 11)
National Firefighters Memorial Day (First Sunday in October)
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (Dec. 7)
What is the protocol for lowering the flag?
According to the American Legion, you must follow these guidelines when handling the flag:
The flag should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position.
When lowering the flag for the day, it should be raised to the peak again before being lowered completely.
On vertical poles, the flag should be placed at a position halfway between the top and bottom of the staff.
For telescoping poles, it is acceptable to place the flag on the second set of rings instead of the top set
The Presidential proclamation orders flags to be lowered at the White House, all public buildings and grounds, military posts, naval stations and federal vessels throughout the United States and its territories. However, governors have some discretion in how they apply flag protocols within their states.