Editing 51st state (section)

== U.S. flag ==
If a new U.S. state were to [[Admission to the Union|be admitted]], it would require a new design of the flag to accommodate an additional star for the 51st state.<ref>{{cite web|title=4 U.S. Code § 2 – Same; additional stars|url=https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/2|access-date=January 20, 2017|website=LII / Legal Information Institute|language=en}}</ref> However, according to the [[U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry]], an existing [[United States flag]] never becomes obsolete. In the event that a new state is added to the Union and a 51-star flag is approved, any previously approved American flag (such as the 50-star flag) may continue to be used and displayed until no longer serviceable.<ref>{{cite web|title='Top Ten' American Flag Myths|url=https://www.legion.org/flag/flagmyths|access-date=8 July 2019|publisher=The American Legion|archive-url=https://archive.today/20230104194841/https://www.legion.org/flag/flagmyths|archive-date=January 4, 2023}}</ref>

On June 13, 2022, Washington, D.C. Mayor [[Muriel Bowser]] ordered flags with 51 stars to be hung along Pennsylvania Avenue [[District of Columbia statehood movement|in support of D.C. being added as a 51st state]].<ref name=dcFlag>{{cite web |url=https://mayor.dc.gov/release/ahead-flag-day-mayor-bowser-directs-51-star-flags-displayed-along-pennsylvania-avenue |title=Ahead of Flag Day, Mayor Bowser Directs 51-Star Flags Displayed Along Pennsylvania Avenue |date=June 13, 2022 |access-date=June 4, 2024 |work=Government of the District of Columbia}}</ref> Similar displays have been designed and used as symbols by supporters of statehood in various areas.{{who else|date=June 2024}}
{{Gallery|title=United States flag variants with 51 stars or more|state=expanded|noborder=yes|height=90
|File:Flag of the United States (51 stars).svg
 |51 star variant
|File:Possible 52-star U.S. flag.svg
 | 52 star variant
| File:A possible flag of the United States of America displaying 53 stars.svg
 | 53 star variant
| File:Possible 54 star flag of the United States.png
 | 54 star variant
| File:55 Star American flag.svg
 | 55 star variant
 | alt4=
| File:56 Star US Flag.svg
 | 56 star variant
| File:Flag of the United States 60 Stars 9-8-9-8-9-8-9.svg
 | 60 star variant
}}