Judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit took swipes at each other in a 2-1 ruling upholding Virginia Tech’s policy for reporting bias incidents, with the majority describing a colleague’s dissent as a “misguided journey” and “dramatic read” filled with fiery rhetoric.

In an opinion Wednesday, Judge Diana Gribbon Motz, joined by Judge Albert Diaz, said the conservative group Speech First failed to show its student members are harmed by the policy and denied a request for a preliminary injunction. The challenged policy, which the group alleges violates the First Amendment by causing them to censor their speech, allows community members to report bias incidents to a panel of university administrators.