SUPREME COURT . . . DRAWING THE LINE AT BIGOTRY

The Supreme Court snubbed a New York professor who was removed from his post at City College after igniting a firestorm of criticism over allegations that some of his public pronouncements were anti-Semitic. A federal appeals court upheld a judges ruling which restored Leonard Jeffries as black studies department chairman because his removal -- for a 1991 speech charging that Jews had a history of oppressing blacks -- violated his First Amendment rights. But the Justices today ordered the New York federal court to restudy its ruling in light of a separate May Supreme Court decision, which says a public employee may be fired for insubordinate statements, despite free-speech protections.Post your opinion on theSocietybulletin board.