From the Dark Side--Supreme Court Nixed Expedited Microsoft Antitrust Appeal

yesterday according to this Washington Post article. The government had requested that the Supreme Court directly hear Microsoft's appeal to it's antitrust convictions rather than first going through the US Court of Appeals. The Expediting Act allows a "short circuit" of the appeals process if doing so is determined to be in the national interest. The Supreme Court in an 8-1 vote disagreed with the government's argument. However, the DC Court of Appeals moved swiftly and later yesterday requested schedules from Microsoft and the government according to this Reuters article on Excite News. This development caught many "experts" by surprise. It simply means that Microsoft can now stretch things out for years while continuing monopolistic activities that the government believes is illegal. Isn't that just wonderful? [Dana Baggett]