A group of tribes asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case affecting the sacred San Francisco Peaks in Arizona.

The Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe and other tribes in Arizona say the use of reclaimed wastewater to make snow will desecrate the peaks.Tribes go to the area to pray and hold ceremonies.

A three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals initially sided with the tribes. But the U.S. Forest Service and the Arizona Snowbowl, the operator of a ski resort in the peaks, asked for a rehearing, which led to a 8-3 ruling against the tribes.

Get the Story:
Snow-making fight goes to high court (AP 1/6)

9th Circuit Decision:
Navajo Nation v. US Forest Service (August 8, 2008)

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