Why are flags at half-staff across Idaho? Here’s more about the monthlong directive
Have you noticed flags flying at half-staff across Idaho? They won’t be raised anytime soon.
For the next month, flags will be lowered not just in the Gem State, but across the country, to honor former President Jimmy Carter. Here’s why.
Why are flags lowered?
There are numerous reasons flags are flown at half-staff — or half-mast on a ship. Directives in each state are handled by the governor. There are predetermined dates for lowered flags, and the governor’s office will announce any additional dates as necessary.
In Idaho, the flag was lowered in 2024 for the deaths of officials including state Rep. Sue Chew, on Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day and for federal observations of holidays such as Memorial Day.
Generally, the directive includes a requirement for state buildings, and an invitation for others to lower their flags as well.
Additionally, directives can be issued by the president for flags on federal property. These directives can then be echoed on state levels through governors’ offices.
Flags at half-staff nationwide
As of Monday, Dec. 30, flags were being flown at half-staff in national observance of the death of former President Carter, who died at the age of 100 on Sunday. He lived longer than any previous U.S. president.
It is an American tradition to fly flags at half-staff for 30 days after a president or former president dies. The standard was established in the Federal Register in 1954 by then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
President Joe Biden’s statement announcing the death of the 39th president issued a flag directive for 30 days, in accordance with tradition. Additionally, Biden designated Jan. 9, 2025, as a national day of mourning. Carter, a Democrat and former governor of Georgia, served as president from 1977-1981. He defeated Republican Gerald Ford in the 1976 election.
“I call on the American people to assemble on that day in their respective places of worship, there to pay homage to the memory of President James Earl Carter Jr.,” Biden stated in the proclamation. “I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.”
The flag directive was echoed by Idaho Gov. Brad Little.
“President Carter will be remembered as a man who dedicated his life to his country,” Little wrote in a press release. “His time in the U.S. Navy, as Governor of Georgia then President of our great country, along with his extensive humanitarian efforts after, remind us of the importance of service to others. May he rest in peace.”
Because the directive lasts through Tuesday, Jan. 28, flags still will be at half-staff during incoming President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The last time this occurred was in 1973, when the observation of former President Harry Truman’s death overlapped with Richard Nixon’s second inauguration.
