JACKSON, Miss. - A federal judge said Tuesday that the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi flag is “anti-American” because it represents those who fought to leave the United States.

Mississippi on Tuesday began flying a new state flag that no longer has a Confederate battle emblem. Lawmakers retired the old flag six months ago as racial justice protests roiled the country.

The Mississippi state flag, which incorporates the Confederate battle flag, hangs with other state flags in the subway system under the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., June 23, 2015.

Local lawmakers agreed Tuesday to take all flags off the city seal, leaving on the flag of the United States and the emblem. Six Mobile City Council members voted to approve the measure after an ...

Mississippi has the last state flag with the Confederate battle emblem -- a red field topped by a blue X with 13 white stars. The flag has been divisive for generations.

The upside-down American flag, originally an apolitical symbol used by sailors to signal that their ship was in trouble, has since been adopted by both the political left and right in protest.

Flying an inverted flag was once a call for help at sea. Before it became an emblem of political protest, flying a nation’s flag upside-down was one of the only ways for sailors to call for help.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge said Tuesday that the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi flag is "anti-American" because it represents those who fought to leave the United States.