Oklahoma has raised its flags after Jimmy Carter’s funeral, ending the typical 30-day mourning period for former presidents.
Oklahoma: So, here’s the scoop. When former President Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, the usual rule is to keep flags at half-staff for 30 days. But Oklahoma decided to do things a bit differently.
Governor Kevin Stitt initially ordered flags to stay at half-staff until January 9, the day of Carter’s memorial. But just a week later, they were fully raised again. It’s a bit of a break from the norm, right?
Now, Texas made headlines when they raised flags for Donald Trump’s inauguration, even while Carter was still being mourned. But in Oklahoma, they’ve already moved on.
Interestingly, there’s no specific state law that tells the governor how to handle these memorials. The federal rule about half-staff flags only applies to public buildings and military posts, not necessarily to state flags.
In the past, Oklahoma has followed the federal guidelines closely. For instance, when George H.W. Bush died in 2018, flags were at half-staff for the full 30 days. But Stitt’s approach for Carter was different, only lowering them for a week.
So, it seems like Oklahoma is setting its own pace when it comes to honoring former presidents. It’s a unique situation, and it’s got folks talking.
