Overview
- Shannon “SJ” Joslin, a probationary Yosemite employee who helped hang a large transgender Pride flag on El Capitan in May 2025, sued after being fired for participating in an unpermitted demonstration.
- U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston dismissed the case without prejudice, saying federal courts lack authority to reinstate a trial-period employee and that Joslin must exhaust the Civil Service Reform Act process.
- Joslin filed a complaint with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel in December 2025 and the OSC is handling the investigation with a final determination expected in August 2026.
- The ruling did not resolve Joslin’s First Amendment or Privacy Act claims and it did not decide any reported criminal-investigation questions related to the flag display.
- After the May 2025 display, Yosemite and the Interior Department imposed a rule banning banners larger than 15 square feet across roughly 94% of the park, a policy change that remains in effect.