Kelly Sets Flags at Half-Staff for Jimmy Carter

By Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — Gov. Laura Kelly signed an executive order declaring a day of mourning for former President Jimmy Carter and she directed flags throughout the state be flown at half-staff.

The governor said state of Kansas offices would be closed Jan. 9 in observance of funeral services for Carter in Washington, D.C., and in conjunction with the National Day of Mourning authorized by a proclamation signed by President Joe Biden.

Kelly said state government offices in Kansas would resume normal operations Jan. 10. The governor said flags in Kansas would be at half-staff until sunset Jan. 28.

“Former President Jimmy Carter was a truly moral man,” Kelly said. “His innate humanity, his humility, his devotion to serving his community and his country, and his belief that the world could live in peace is the remarkable legacy he leaves behind.”

Biden directed the U.S. flag be displayed at half-staff at the White House, on public buildings and grounds, at military posts and naval stations, and naval vessels of the federal government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its territories and possessions for a period of 30 days from the day of his death.

Carter, the 39th president, a peanut farmer and recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, died Sunday at the age of 100 in Plains, Georgia.

In addition, the Kansas Supreme Court directed that state courts close Jan. 9 to observe Carter’s death. No oral arguments were scheduled that day with the state Supreme Court or Kansas Court of Appeals. The Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka will be closed.

Supreme Court justices granted the state’s 31 judicial districts the discretion to conduct court proceedings Jan. 9 “if they are in the best interest of justice.” Anyone scheduled to be in state court on that date should check with the court to verify whether the proceeding will take place.