WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from a nonprofit group that wanted to sue individual IRS officials for targeting tea party groups that applied for tax-exempt status.

The justices on Tuesday left in place an appeals court ruling that said the group could not sue former IRS official Lois Lerner and others for their roles in singling out certain applications for extra, sometimes burdensome scrutiny.

An inspector general's had report found no evidence of a political conspiracy, but blamed the agency for poor management.

The group True the Vote says the IRS subjected it to unwarranted delays while processing its application for tax-exempt status. It sought damages for a violation of First Amendment rights.

The group's lawsuit against the agency itself is still pending in a lower court.