The long legal fight between two members of Congress over an illegally taped telephone call ended Monday when the Supreme Court refused to review the case. The court, without comment, left in place a federal appeals court ruling that Representative Jim McDermott, Democrat of Washington, acted improperly in giving reporters access to a recording of a 1996 telephone call of Republican leaders discussing the House ethics case against Representative Newt Gingrich, who was then House speaker. Mr. McDermott had asked the justices to hear his appeal of that ruling, which he said infringed on his free-speech rights.