Law: Sour Apples

The Supreme Court bites back

Chief Justice Warren Burger has often complained about the overburdening of the nation's courts. They are being choked, he once observed, because "people tend to be less satisfied with one round of litigation and are demanding a second bite at the apple." The apple is now biting back. In two major decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court refused to permit federal employees to bring damage suits against their superiors for violations of constitutional rights. In a third case, the court assessed a party for filing a frivolous appeal after repeated failures in lower courts.

The Supreme Court ruled...

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