A federal appeals court has backed a decision by Florida Atlantic University to fire a professor who drew national attention for questioning whether the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut actually occurred.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit on Monday rejected James Tracy's First Amendment arguments that he was fired in retaliation for views posted on a blog. The panel upheld a jury's decision on the First Amendment issue and a district judge's rulings against Tracy on other issues.