New Delhi, Nov. 11 -- WEST POINT, N.Y. - For Tim Bakken, identifying himself as a West Point professor was part of explaining why anyone should listen to his legal analysis. The military academy's effort to control when civilian academics could use that affiliation is now headed toward another round of litigation, after a judge barred its faculty speech restrictions.

West Point filed a notice of appeal on November 5, the Washington Post reported November 10. Bakken, the civilian law professor who brought the First Amendment challenge, said in a statement quoted by the newspaper that he would continue fighting to protect academic freedom.

The dispute reaches beyond a professor's ability to accept a podcast invitation. It concerns whether...