Lawyers for poetry professor Barry Spurr have taken an online journal to court to force it to take down emails that expose his sexist and racist rants to colleagues and friends.

On Tuesday, Federal Court judge Michael Wigney granted an interlocutory injunction until Thursday, restraining New Matilda from publishing further details of Professor Spurr's emails. But emails and stories already published could remain online pending the hearing on Thursday.

Court action: Professor Barry Spurr says the emails were part of a 'linguistic game'. Credit:James Brickwood

The owner and editor of New Matilda Chris Graham had refused Professor Spurr's demand to remove the emails and his coverage of the affair by 10am on Tuesday.