JACKSON, Miss. (AP) -- A federal judge says the Confederate emblem on the Mississippi flag is "anti-American" because it represents those who fought to leave the United States.
But U.S. District Judge Carlton Reeves is not yet saying whether he will fully consider a lawsuit that seeks to eliminate the flag as a state symbol.
Reeves heard arguments Tuesday over motions in a lawsuit filed by Carlos Moore, an African-American attorney who's asking Reeves to declare the flag an unconstitutional relic of slavery.
Reeves must decide two questions: whether Moore has legal standing to sue the state, and whether flag design is an issue that can be decided by a court.
An assistant state attorney general, Doug Miracle, argues flag design is a political question that should be decided by the Legislature.
