Judge dismisses Yosemite ranger’s suit over trans pride flag firing

A federal judge has thrown out Shannon “SJ” Joslin’s lawsuit over their firing from Yosemite National Park, sidestepping the deeper constitutional fight over whether a public employee can be punished for a symbolic act done off duty on federal land. The ruling leaves unresolved a question that reaches far beyond one ranger and one flag: where workplace rules end and protected expression begins for LGBTQ employees across the federal government.

Joslin, a Yosemite National Park ranger and wildlife biologist who uses they/them pronouns, was fired in August 2025 after helping hang a transgender pride flag from El Capitan on May 20, 2025. The flag, which Joslin described as a celebration of their transgender identity rather than a park demonstration, measured 66 feet by 35 feet and was flown about one-third of the way up the granite wall, above Heart Ledges and roughly 1,000 feet above the ground. Joslin said they were off duty when they took part in the display, which reportedly remained visible for about two hours.

In February 2026, Joslin sued the federal government, arguing that the firing violated the First Amendment and the Privacy Act. The complaint also said records kept by the National Park Service contained false or harmful information about the incident. On June 12, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston in Fresno dismissed the case, saying the court lacked jurisdiction to review Joslin’s termination, order reinstatement, or block a hypothetical criminal case. Thurston said Joslin must instead pursue claims through the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which handles prohibited personnel practice complaints in the federal workforce.

The ruling did not decide Joslin’s claim that the firing selectively targeted protected speech. That omission matters because the dispute sits at the intersection of personnel law and political expression, especially for public employees whose identities and duties can collide in visible ways. Joslin’s case also lands as the National Park Service has tightened enforcement around demonstrations on federal lands, where rules generally require permits in designated areas except for limited small-group activity.

At the time, the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior said multiple employees were being disciplined for failing to follow regulations and that officials were evaluating possible criminal charges tied to demonstrations around El Capitan. A department spokesperson said the park would not tolerate violations of laws and regulations affecting park resources and visitor experience. Against a broader backdrop of Trump administration efforts to crack down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs and what officials called “gender ideology,” the dismissal leaves federal agencies with a sharper boundary: symbolic acts on public lands can trigger workplace consequences, but challenges to those consequences may have to begin inside the civil service system rather than in federal court.