Federal judge rejects fired biologist's free speech lawsuit over Yosemite trans flag demonstration - BERITAJA

What began arsenic an enactment of solidarity yet took a bitter move for a National Park Service biologist.

After helping display a pink, achromatic and bluish transgender flag astatine El Capitan successful May 2025, Shannon Joslin, who uses “they/them” pronouns, recovered themselves astatine the halfway of controversy, claiming they were wrongfully terminated for their engagement and that their free reside authorities had been violated.

In February 2026, Joslin revenge a suit against respective authorities agencies and officials, alleging unlawful and retaliatory action successful consequence to serene off-duty expression. They sought reinstatement to their job, a ruling that the authorities acted illegally, protection from criminal charges, and financial damages.

On Friday, a national judge dismissed the case, ruling the tribunal has nary authority to unit the parkland work to reinstate Joslin’s position.

However, the ruling did not settee the broader conflict surrounding Joslin’s firing. U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston said that Joslin utilized the incorrect process to situation the firing.

Joslin was connected their time disconnected from activity astatine the time, installing the emblem arsenic a “private citizen,” they said.

A week aft the demonstration, Joslin was contacted by a Park Service rule enforcement serviceman about the emblem and told them they were “under criminal investigation.” In a follow-up interview, Yosemite’s acting lawman superintendent issued a termination letter.

The tribunal ruling revealed that Joslin was a fewer weeks awkward of completing their two-year proceedings play erstwhile the termination occurred.

According to their employer, Joslin “failed to show acceptable conduct” during the proceedings play by participating successful a objection without the due permit, “thus (circumventing) rules applicable to each parkland visitors.”

Joslin later received a form, which cited a statesmanlike executive bid and unspecified “unacceptable conduct,” the tribunal ruling said.

Soon after, Joslin posted connected societal media expressing outrage, and the communicative gained traction online.

Dr. Shannon Joslin, a biologist astatine Yosemite, was terminated aft they installed a trans emblem while off-duty without the due permits.

(Pattie Gonia)

“I want my authorities and I want my profession back,” Joslin wrote successful an August 2025 Instagram post. “No one, successful immoderate of my roles has EVER had antagonistic comments about my conduct. I dainty group pinch the time, patience and respect I dream they will springiness to me.”

Joslin could situation their termination done the Civil Service Reform Act, which protects national labor from unfair practices and governmental retaliation, according to Thurston.

In fact, Joslin began this process by filing a title pinch the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, aliases OSC, successful December 2025, alleging that the government’s actions “prohibited unit practice.”

“My firing isn’t conscionable about 1 ranger,” Joslin told the Times successful 2025. “It’s about whether everyone has the correct to speak freely successful the United States. This benignant of targeting threatens the authorities of civilian servants, and by extension, each Americans, to speak freely.”

The OSC has up to 240 days to respond to Joslin’s complaint. The deadline is August 3, 2026. However, owed to a authorities shutdown and a backlog of cases, the OSC is expected to delay its response.