Court Dismisses Colorado Regent Wanda James's Lawsuit Over Cannabis, Race Dispute

A federal judge dismissed Wanda James's lawsuit against Colorado regents citing legislative immunity.

On November 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Philip A. Brimmer dismissed with prejudice the lawsuit filed by University of Colorado Regent Wanda James against seven fellow regents. The lawsuit stemmed from disciplinary actions against James following her criticism of a public health campaign.

James, a notable Black cannabis entrepreneur and the only Black regent currently serving, accused the regents of racial discrimination and violations of her constitutional rights. The dispute arose after the Colorado School of Public Health launched the 'Tea on THC' campaign in late 2024 and early 2025, which James argued invoked racist stereotypes.

Following her criticism, the Board of Regents voted 7-1 on July 2, 2025, to censure James, remove her from all committee assignments, and bar her from attending university events in her official capacity. James then filed suit on May 18, 2026.

The court ruled that the regents were acting in a legislative capacity and therefore entitled to absolute legislative immunity. According to Judge Brimmer, "The principle that legislators are absolutely immune from liability for their legislative activities has long been recognized in Anglo–American law." This immunity protected the regents from James's suit.

This case emphasizes the legal protections for university governing bodies when exercising legislative functions and illustrates the difficult balance between governance, race relations, and public health messaging in public institutions.

Yes, but: While the court confirmed legislative immunity protections, the specific issues raised regarding race and cannabis remain unresolved publicly, as the underlying campaign content and rationale for the censure were not fully detailed in court documents.