A federal appeals court has shot down another attempt by a Christian student group to force a California law school to formally recognize it, despite the group's refusal to allow gay members.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in June that the University of California Hastings College of the Law could legally deny funding and other benefits to the Christian Legal Society.

The high court ruled that the society's First Amendment rights were not violated.

The group later raised a more specific claim, arguing that the law school singled it out for discrimination rather than accusing the school of general free speech violations.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals tossed out that claim Wednesday, saying the new argument was raised only after the group lost in the Supreme Court.