For Vincent Jackson, a Black retired State Trooper, wearing the coat of arms as a patch on his uniform for years was “painful” since the design includes a Confederate battle flag symbol.

Along with the Confederate flag, Alabama’s coat of arms features a shield with the flags of three countries that held territory in what later became Alabama: Great Britain, France and Spain.

The coat of arms was designed during the Jim Crow era to include the Confederate flag. Underneath the shield is the state’s motto: “We dare defend our rights,” written in Latin. The state ...

marks consisting of their flag, coat of arms and other official seals. “State and local governments (including local law enforcement) should have the ability to be protected by federal trademark ...