A Greek Orthodox priest and hedge fund manager has embraced a bold, and perhaps hopeful, strategy in his free-speech fight against the Securities and Exchange Commission over statements he made about a biotech company he was shorting.

With help from lawyers at the New Civil Liberties Alliance, Rev. Father Emmanuel Lemelson has filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to review a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upholding the SEC’s complaint and hold that his comments regarding Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. were protected by the First Amendment.