A federal judge in Fresno, California, ruled Friday that she lacks the legal authority to reinstate a Yosemite National Park ranger who was terminated last year for unfurling a transgender pride flag at the iconic El Capitan rock formation.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Thurston, a Biden appointee, wrote that under existing statutes and precedent, the court cannot decide whether Shannon “SJ” Joslin was fired for unconstitutional reasons or block any potential criminal case against them. “The Court lacks jurisdiction to review Joslin’s termination or to offer any related relief, including a reinstatement,” she stated.
Joslin, who is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, must now bring their First Amendment claims before the Office of Special Counsel, the judge said. The ruling does not address the substance of Joslin’s allegation that the National Park Service targeted them for protected speech.
The firing occurred in 2024 after Joslin displayed a transgender pride flag on El Capitan on their day off. The granite monolith, a mecca for global rock climbers, is known as “El Cap.” Joslin’s lawsuit also revealed they are under criminal investigation related to the incident.
“Yes, I lost my job for this flag. But this wasn’t the first way that the Trump administration had been scaring us into silence as federal workers,” Joslin told The Hill earlier this year. “And that felt wrong, too.”
The case unfolded as the Trump administration escalated its crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and what it labels “gender ideology” across federal agencies. Separately, an appeals panel recently heard arguments on whether the National Park Service lawfully removed references to slavery at the Philadelphia site where George Washington lived as president.
Other pending lawsuits challenge federal grants and Trump’s diversity-related executive orders. In a related development, a federal judge rejected a lawsuit over the DOJ’s scrapped $1.8 billion fund and warned the agency not to “play possum.” Meanwhile, Republican attorneys general are predicting a broad Supreme Court win on transgender athlete bans.
Joslin’s case highlights the legal limits of challenging personnel actions in federal court, especially when Congress has designated alternative forums like the Office of Special Counsel for such disputes. Judge Thurston’s decision leaves the ranger without immediate reinstatement but does not foreclose further administrative or appellate action.
