Biden Judge Tosses Trans Ex-Ranger’s Suit Against Trump
A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by a former Yosemite ranger fired after helping display a transgender pride flag on El Capitan, ruling the court lacked authority to hear the case.
Shannon Joslin, who identifies as non-binary, was dismissed from the National Park Service in August 2025 following the May 2025 incident in which Joslin participated while off duty, according to Breitbart News. Joslin filed suit against the agency claiming the termination constituted unlawful retaliation that violated First Amendment rights and was intended to suppress a political statement.
The flag stunt was carried out by a coalition of LGBTQ activist climbers operating under the name “Trans Is Natural,” who described their action as an act of solidarity and resistance, as Breitbart News reported in May 2025. The group explicitly stated the demonstration was a protest against President Donald Trump and his administration’s policies, including the removal of transgender propaganda from official government websites.
The flag displayed on El Capitan was reportedly the largest ever flown on the famous granite monolith, hanging beneath Heart Ledges, a location the activists described as symbolic of the literal and figurative heart of the formation.
In a March 2026 interview with the Hill, Joslin defended the action. Yes, I lost my job for this flag, Joslin stated, adding that the Trump administration had been intimidating federal workers into silence in ways that felt fundamentally wrong.
Court Finds No Authority to Hear Case
Judge Jennifer L. Thurston of the Eastern District of California dismissed the lawsuit on the grounds that the court lacked legal authority to provide the remedies Joslin sought. In her ruling, Thurston wrote that under existing congressional statutes and binding legal precedent, the court does not possess the authority to determine whether Joslin was fired for unconstitutional or illegal reasons, nor to block potential criminal proceedings related to the incident.
Judge Thurston was appointed to the federal bench by President Joe Biden following Senate confirmation in 2021.
Joslin, who holds a doctorate in genetics and previously served as a quantitative wildlife biologist for the Park Service, had requested both reinstatement to the position and judicial protection against possible criminal charges stemming from the flag display.
With information from Breitbart News
