Sampson v. Murray

A probationary federal employee (plaintiff) was discharged, possibly based on undisclosed reports from a prior job that, if true, would have entitled her to procedural protections she never received. She sued the federal government (defendant) seeking an injunction blocking her discharge until she completed an administrative appeal; the trial court entered a temporary restraining order, and when the government refused to produce a witness on jurisdictional grounds, the court extended the order indefinitely. The D.C. Circuit affirmed, and the government sought Supreme Court review.