A lawsuit involving a terminated Yosemite National Park ranger who was fired after hanging a transgender pride flag from the El Capitan monolith was dismissed.
Shannon “SJ” Joslin and seven climbers, including two other park rangers, hung the 66-foot pink, blue, and white flag on May 20, 2025, for two hours.
Joslin’s employment was subsequently terminated by a letter stating that Joslin allegedly failed “to demonstrate acceptable conduct.”
“You participated in a small group demonstration in an area outside the designated protest and demonstration area without a permit ... and thus circumvented rules applicable to all park visitors,” the letter stated.
A lawsuit, in which Joslin alleged violations of the First Amendment and the Privacy Act, followed.
“For these reasons, the Court cannot infer from Joslin’s current allegations that they have constitutional standing to pursue a claim under the Privacy Act," Thurston wrote.
Defendants named in the complaint included the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior.
In court filings, Joslin alleges they were “vindictive, retaliatory, [and] intended to communicate disapproval of a particular point of view.”
The government argued that Joslin was fired for reasons that had nothing to do with speech.
In her dismissal order, Thurston also said the court lacks jurisdiction over the issue due to Joslin being a probationary employee at the time of termination.
“Joslin is nonbinary and uses gender-neutral pronouns, such as ‘they’ and ‘them,’” Thurston wrote. “They ask to be reinstated, and they ask the Court to order the government not to pursue a criminal investigation or prosecution against them.”
Thurston referred Joslin to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), where the case is already under review. Joslin filed a complaint with the OSC in December 2025, which is due to make a determination in August after a 240-day Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA) procedural deadline passes.
The OSC is an independent agency within the executive branch. The acting OSC special counsel is Jamieson Greer, who was appointed to the role by President Donald Trump last year.
Greer served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General’s Corps, where he deployed to Iraq and served as the chief of military justice at Joint Base Balad.
He also serves as the U.S. Trade Representative.
“Under the laws that Congress has passed, and under the legal precedent that a federal trial court must follow, this Court does not have authority to decide whether Joslin was fired for unconstitutional or illegal reasons, nor to block a hypothetical criminal case against them,” Thurston concluded. “The government’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED, and Joslin’s motion for a preliminary injunction is DENIED.”