Missouri attorney general Jay Nixon has compiled a list of the "Top 10 frivolous lawsuits" filed by Missouri prisoners. Included in the list: one prisoner filed a suit claiming that the cost of junk food in a prison commissary is too high; another charged that the limit on Kool-Aid refills is cruel and unusual. A convicted murderer wanted the state to give him an axe so he could build a "sweat lodge" in which to conduct American Indian ceremonies. A prisoner sued the Buchanan County jail for making escape too easy (although he broke his leg during a failed attempt), while another complained that nicotine patches are not provided free to inmates who want to quit smoking. One lawsuit demanded that prisoners be served butter and not just margarine, while another argued that "male inmates should be allowed to wear female apparel such as bras, panties, lipstick, and artificial fingernails. Another lawsuit demanded that convicts working in prison libraries should be paid the same rate as attorneys. The No. 1 lawsuit, and the only one among them not to have been dismissed yet: a complaint that there are no salad bars or brunches on weekends and holidays.

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