Court Upholds Colorado Professor's Firing The Colorado Supreme Court on Monday refused to reinstate Ward L. Churchill as a University of Colorado professor despite his longstanding contention that he was dismissed because of his controversial political views. Upholding two lower court decisions on Mr. Churchill's case, the court affirmed that the university's Board of Regents had essentially acted as judges in firing him for academic misconduct in 2007 and was therefore legally immune to his attempts to win his job back. Mr. Churchill, 64, an ethnic studies professor, created a national uproar when he described some victims of the Sept. 11 attacks as "little Eichmanns" in an essay that first appeared in 2001, referring to Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi who helped carry out the Holocaust. But the essay did not draw attention until 2005. Shortly thereafter, several scholars came forward accusing Mr. Churchill of committing plagiarism in his research on American Indians, which eventually led to his dismissal. He has been trying to get his job back ever since, maintaining that his political views were the real reason he was fired and accusing the university of violating his free speech rights. "The Colorado State Supreme Court spends 55 pages saying the regents are above the law," said David A. Lane, Mr. Churchill's lawyer. Regents at universities all over the country should feel emboldened to feel free to violate the First Amendment any time they want, as long as there is some sham due process that is given before they do it. Mr. Lane said he planned to appeal to the United States Supreme Court. The ruling, which came just one day before the 11th anniversary of the attacks, is the culmination of years of bitter legal battles between Mr. Churchill and the university. In 2009, a Denver jury agreed with Mr. Churchill's assertion that he was wrongfully fired but awarded him only $1 in damages. And the district judge in the case, Larry J. Naves, refused to return him to the classroom, ruling that the regents" actions were quasi-judicial and legally protected. The Colorado Court of Appeals agreed. "Obviously, we are pleased that the Supreme Court upheld Judge Naves" ruling that we acted appropriately throughout this," said Ken McConnellogue, a spokesman for the University of Colorado. At the end of the day, academic integrity is at the core of our mission. Today's ruling is a victory for all of C.U."s faculty and students."