The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, featuring a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the state's coat of arms in gold. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state's constitution while the pillars represent the three branches of government. The words of the state motto, "Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation", are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in colonial attire from the American Revolutionary War. Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state's constitution with an additional motto, In God We Trust, featured below these elements. The ring of stars that encompass the state's coat of arms represents Georgia as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The design principle is based on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the Stars and Bars. After Mississippi's vote to change their flag design in 2020, the Georgia flag remains one of four state flags with references to the Confederacy and is the only one with a direct copy of a flag once flown by the Confederate States of America. It is one of three U.S. state flags to feature the words "In God We Trust", with the other two being those of Florida and Mississippi.