You’ve probably seen it before—that somber sight of the Stars and Stripes sitting midway down the pole. It’s a visual gut-punch. For most of January 2025, that was the view across America. When Jimmy Carter passed away on December 29, 2024, at the ripe old age of 100, it triggered a massive, month-long period of national mourning.
But honestly? A lot of people were confused about the timeline.
See, federal law isn't exactly light reading. Most folks think a few days is the standard. They see the flag go down, they wait for the weekend, and they expect it to be back at the peak by Monday. With a former president, though, the rules change completely. We aren't just talking about a "moment of silence." We're talking about a full 30-day marathon of remembrance.
Why the 30-Day Rule Exists
Basically, there’s this thing called the U.S. Flag Code (specifically Title 4, Section 7). It’s the rulebook for how we treat the flag. It says that when a sitting or former president dies, the flag stays at half-staff for exactly 30 days.
Not 29. Not 31.
President Joe Biden issued the official proclamation almost immediately after Carter’s death was confirmed by the Carter Center. This meant flags were ordered down from December 30, 2024, until sunset on January 28, 2025.
That’s a long time.
It’s meant to reflect the weight of the office. While a Vice President or a Supreme Court Justice gets 10 days, the "Commander in Chief" gets the full month. It’s a tradition that traces back to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who formalized these rules in 1954. Before that, things were kinda all over the place.
The Inauguration Drama You Might’ve Missed
This created a really weird situation in January 2025.
Think about it. Donald Trump was being sworn in as the 47th president on January 20. Traditionally, an inauguration is a "full-staff" kind of day. It’s a celebration. But because Carter died at the very end of December, the 30-day mourning period was still in effect during the entire transition of power.
It got a bit spicy.
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Trump actually posted on social media that "nobody wants to see" flags at half-staff during his big day. Some Republican governors even took matters into their own hands. In states like Texas, Florida, and Alabama, flags were hoisted back to the top for the inauguration day itself, only to be lowered again the next morning.
It was a total clash between tradition and modern politics.
How to Actually Fly the Flag Correctly
If you're a homeowner or run a small business, you might feel the urge to participate. But there’s a specific "dance" to it. You don't just pull the flag halfway up and call it a day.
- The "Snap" to the Top: First, you have to hoist the flag briskly to the very peak of the staff for a split second.
- The Slow Lowering: Then, and only then, do you slowly lower it to the middle.
- The Sunset Ritual: When you take it down at night, you have to pull it back to the top again before bringing it all the way down.
It sounds tedious, I know. But in the world of flag etiquette, those little details are what separate a respectful tribute from a "low-effort" mistake.
Does the Governor Have the Final Say?
Sometimes you’ll see flags down in your town but not at the Post Office. That’s because the President orders flags down for national figures, but Governors can order them down for local heroes, state officials, or even first responders killed in the line of duty.
For Jimmy Carter, though, it was a "double-down" situation. Both the federal government and state governors (like Georgia’s Brian Kemp) issued overlapping orders.
The Legacy Behind the Half-Staff Honors
Why did we do this for Carter specifically?
The guy lived a century. That’s wild. Beyond the peanut farming and the 1970s presidency, he spent over 40 years in his "post-presidency" era. He was the only president to reach centenarian status. He won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He spent his weekends building houses with Habitat for Humanity well into his 90s.
Even if you didn't love his politics in 1979, the 30-day half-staff period was a nod to a guy who basically redefined what it meant to be an "ex-president."
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He didn't just go play golf in Palm Springs. He went to work.
What to Do Next Time
Next time you see the flags lowered and you aren't sure why, don't just guess. The 30-day mark for a president is the "gold standard," but for most other events—like the death of a member of Congress—it’s usually just a day or two.
If you want to stay on top of this, you should check the official White House Proclamations or your state’s government website. They usually post "Flag Alerts" the second an order is signed.
Actionable Insights for Flag Owners:
- Check the Date: If it’s a former president, mark your calendar for 30 days. Don't raise it early just because the news cycle moved on.
- Solar Lights: If you can’t be there to raise and lower the flag at sunrise and sunset, invest in a pole-mounted solar light. If the flag is lit, it can stay at half-staff overnight.
- Respect the Inauguration: If a national celebration overlaps with a mourning period, follow the lead of federal buildings. If the Post Office has it down, yours should probably be down too.
Jimmy Carter's death marked the end of an era. The flags being at half-staff for that long was a reminder of how much history the man actually lived through. From the Great Depression to the AI age, he saw it all. Raising the flag back to full-staff on January 29, 2025, wasn't just a protocol—it was the final "over and out" for the 39th president.