{"id":147181,"date":"2025-05-28T21:49:04","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T02:49:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/?p=147181"},"modified":"2025-10-06T22:07:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T03:07:08","slug":"we-will-never-stop-fighting-sacred-site-movement-continues-amid-high-profile-setback","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/05\/28\/we-will-never-stop-fighting-sacred-site-movement-continues-amid-high-profile-setback\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;We will never stop fighting&#8217;: Sacred site movement continues amid high-profile setback"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<div class=\" content_cards_card content_cards_domain_youtu-be\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"content_cards_image\">\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_image_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Zh68xOn0B_8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/01\/maxresdefault-826.jpg\" alt=\"Apache sacred land threatened by mining in Arizona\">\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_title\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_title_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Zh68xOn0B_8\">\n\t\t\tApache sacred land threatened by mining in Arizona\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_description\">\n\t\t<a class=\"content_cards_description_link\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Zh68xOn0B_8\">\n\t\t\t<p>The Ninth Circuit released a divided ruling (6-5) that refused to protect Oak Flat from destruction. This is not the end for Oak Flat. Apache Stronghold appe&#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"content_cards_site_name\">\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/s\/desktop\/9f244442\/img\/favicon.ico\" alt=\"YouTube\" class=\"content_cards_favicon\"\/>\t\tYouTube\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/Zh68xOn0B_8>Apache sacred land threatened by mining in Arizona<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">&#8216;We will never stop fighting&#8217;: Sacred site movement continues amid high-profile setback<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Wednesday, May 28, 2025<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe long-running movement to protect a sacred Apache site  from development is gaining renewed attention following a stinging  rebuke from a key member  of the <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/>U.S. Supreme Court<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn an order on Tuesday, the highest court in the land declined to hear a case that seeks to protect Oak Flat in Arizona from a massive mining project. As is typical with such orders, no reason was given for the denial.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut in a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/24-291_5i26\/>17-page dissent<\/a>, Justice Neil Gorsuch blasted his colleagues for refusing to hear <a href=https:\/\/becketfund.org\/case\/apache-stronghold-v-united-states\/><em>Apache Stronghold v. United States<\/em><\/a>. He said the high court&#8217;s inaction means the Apache people stand to   lose one of their most important places.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;For centuries, Western Apaches have worshipped at Ch\u00ed\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel, or Oak Flat,&#8221; Gorsuch wrote in the opening sentence of his dissent.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground,&#8221; Gorsuch added.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&quot;For centuries, Western Apaches have worshipped at<br>Ch\u00ed\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel, or Oak Flat&#8230;<br><br>No more. Now, the government and a mining conglomerate want to turn Oak Flat into a massive hole in the ground&quot;: Justice Neil Gorsuch blasts Supreme Court for refusing to hear <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OakFlat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OakFlat<\/a> case. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/mFOPwMBW0s\">pic.twitter.com\/mFOPwMBW0s<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1927441860282241062?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 27, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote> <script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nAccording to Gorsuch, who made history when he joined the Supreme Court in 2017 with the most extensive background in Indian issues, his fellow justices made a &#8220;grave mistake&#8221; by refusing to hear the dispute. He said the case raises significant matters of law that deserve to be resolved before the federal government turns Oak Flat over to foreign mining interests.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Before allowing the government to destroy the Apaches\u2019 sacred site, this Court should at least have troubled itself to hear their case,&#8221; Gorsuch wrote.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGorsuch pointed out that Oak Flat had long been controlled by the Apache people. Following the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, he said the United States promised by treaty to confirm the boundaries of Apache tribal homelands but never did so.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Eventually, the government forced the Apaches onto reservations,&#8221; Gorsuch observed, a federal action that resulted in the loss of Oak Flat to the U.S.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nStill, Gorsuch noted that the U.S. government protected Oak Flat by designating it as part of the Tonto National Forest in 1905. More recently, Ch\u00ed\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel was added to the National Register of Historic Places in recognition of its importance to Apache people.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nDespite the safeguards, Gorsuch said mining interests began lobbying Congress to open Oak Flat to development. Opposition from Indian Country &#8212; led by the <a href=https:\/\/www.scat-nsn.gov\/>San Carlos Apache Tribe<\/a> and the <a href=http:\/\/apache-stronghold.com\/>Apache Stronghold<\/a> &#8212; derailed &#8220;at least 12 separate standalone bills&#8221; to transfer the federal forest land, the   justice stated.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut in order to bypass the normal legislative process,   the foreign companies behind <a href=https:\/\/resolutioncopper.com\/>Resolution Copper<\/a> convinced Congress in December 2014 to include the Oak Flat transfer in a national defense bill. The &#8220;last-minute rider,&#8221; as Gorsuch described it, set in motion an environmental review   at the <a href=https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/>Department of Agriculture<\/a> which all but ensured that Apache objections would not stop the proposed mine &#8212; despite its massive size and the negative impacts on tribal religious practices.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The Department admitted that Oak Flat would &#8216;be directly and permanently damaged\r\nby the subsidence area,'&#8221; Gorsuch wrote. &#8220;Indeed, the Apaches tell us, the planned crater overlaps almost entirely with the area sacred to them.&#8221;\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd here&#8217;s where Gorsuch set his sights on a different set of federal judges. He accused the  <a href=https:\/\/www.ca9.uscourts.gov\/>9th Circuit Court of Appeals<\/a>, which heard the Apache Stronghold&#8217;s challenge to the land transfer, of getting the religious freedom issues wrong &#8212; not once but twice &#8212; by making up what he said were different rules when it came to the protection of Oak Flat.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n&#8220;To be sure, the government\u2019s plan may promise the destruction of a sacred site and thus\r\nprevent religious exercises from occurring,&#8221; Gorsuch wrote of the admission that Ch\u00ed\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel will be damaged in a way that prevents the Apache people from practicing their religion at the site.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;But, the court reasoned, none of that is enough to amount to a substantial\r\nburden,&#8221; Gorsuch said in reference to the 9th Circuit&#8217;s decision to use a &#8220;different rule&#8221; regarding what happens at Oak Flat.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/05\/28\/we-will-never-stop-fighting-sacred-site-movement-continues-amid-high-profile-setback\/oakflat-5\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-147237\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1536\" data-attachment-id=\"147237\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/05\/28\/we-will-never-stop-fighting-sacred-site-movement-continues-amid-high-profile-setback\/oakflat-5\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/29\/oakflat.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2048,1536\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Oak Flat\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Oak Flat&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Young citizens of the San Carlos Apache Tribe stand in front of a banner at a rally in support of Oak Flat at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/29\/oakflat.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/29\/oakflat.jpg\" alt=\"Oak Flat\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-147237\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Young citizens of the San Carlos Apache Tribe stand in front of a banner at a rally in support of Oak Flat at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAnd since the Supreme Court has refused to take up the matter, Gorsuch said the 9th Circuit&#8217;s rule-shifting will have a significant impact on Indian Country. The <a href=https:\/\/www.ca9.uscourts.gov\/information\/circuit-map\/>federal appeals court<\/a> hears cases affecting hundreds of tribes in eight Western states,  plus those affecting Native people in Hawaii.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;That circuit encompasses approximately 74% of all federal land and almost a third of the nation\u2019s Native American population,&#8221; Gorsuch observed. \r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe Supreme Court, as a whole, does not usually explain why it refuses to grant or  deny a particular petition presented to the justices. But if at least <a href=https:\/\/www.law.cornell.edu\/wex\/certiorari>four   of the nine justices agree to hear a case<\/a>, then it will be added to the docket.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nGorsuch&#8217;s dissent was joined, surprisingly, by Justice Clarence Thomas, a conservative member of the Supreme Court who almost always goes against tribal interests in Indian law cases.That means at least two justices  wanted to add   Oak Flat   to the docket.\r\n<p><\/p> \r\nJustice Samuel Alito, another conservative member of the high court, &#8220;took no part in the consideration or decision of this petition&#8221; according to the order from Tuesday. He  wrote the infamous decision that removed a child from her Indian father in the so-called <a href=https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Adoptive_Couple_v._Baby_Girl>Baby Veronica case<\/a>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThat leaves the remaining six justices &#8212; three   conservative  and three who are considered liberal &#8212; in an apparently deep conflict about whether to hear the  sacred site dispute. The justices, in fact, had listed and relisted the Apache Stronghold petition for consideration a whopping 17 times between November 2024 and May 2025, according to   <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/search.aspx?filename=\/docket\/docketfiles\/html\/public\/24-291.html>Docket No. 24-291<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIt wasn&#8217;t until the petition was considered at a closed-door conference last Thursday on May 22, that the justices finally reached a conclusion.  Regardless of the way they viewed the merits of the Oak Flat case, Gorsuch had strong words for his <a href=https:\/\/www.supremecourt.gov\/about\/biographies.aspx>fellow members of the Supreme Court<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Just imagine if the government sought to demolish a historic cathedral on so questionable a chain of legal reasoning. I have no doubt that we would find that case worth our time,&#8221; Gorsuch wrote in the closing paragraph of his dissent.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Faced with the government\u2019s plan to destroy an ancient site of tribal worship, we owe the Apaches no less,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;They may live far from Washington, D. C., and their history and religious practices may be unfamiliar to many. But that should make no difference.&#8221;\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/06\/cronkite-news-bill-to-protect-sacred-apache-site-debated-on-capitol-hill\/saveoakflat-2\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11289\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"11289\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/06\/cronkite-news-bill-to-protect-sacred-apache-site-debated-on-capitol-hill\/saveoakflat-2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/saveoakflat-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1583949847&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.002&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Oak Flat\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Oak Flat&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Wendsler Nosie Sr., left, and Nizhoni Pike, center, take part in a rally in support of Oak Flat at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/saveoakflat-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/saveoakflat-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Oak Flat\"   class=\"size-full wp-image-11289\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Wendsler Nosie Sr., left, and Nizhoni Pike, center, take part in a rally in support of Oak Flat at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2020. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nIn a news release on Tuesday, Wendsler Nosie Sr., a former chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, acknowledged the Supreme Court&#8217;s denial as a major setback. He established the Apache Stronghold group with the backing of his Indian nation.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe will never stop fighting &#8212; nothing will deter us from protecting Oak Flat from destruction,\u201d   Nosie said in the <a href=https:\/\/becketfund.org\/media\/breaking-supreme-court-refuses-plea-to-protect-oak-flat\/>release from The   Becket Fund for Religious Liberty<\/a>, which has been part of the legal team defending Oak Flat.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWhile this decision is a heavy blow, our struggle is far from over,&#8221; Nosie asserted. &#8220;We urge Congress to take decisive action to stop this injustice while we press forward in the the courts.\u201d  \r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/04\/01\/cronkite-news-community-pays-tribute-to-congressman-raul-grijalva\/>late Congressman Ra\u00fal Grijalva<\/a>, a Democrat from Arizona who <a herf=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2025\/03\/20\/cronkite-news-democratic-lawmaker-raul-grijalva-passes-on-at-age-of-77\/>passed away on March 13<\/a>, was a friend of Nosie and a supporter of the Apache Stronghold. He repeatedly championed legislation to rescind the  Oak Flat rider and give the Apache people a voice again at their sacred place.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nSimilar efforts are now being carried on by <a href=https:\/\/huffman.house.gov>Rep. Jared Huffman<\/a> (D-California), who succeeded <a hre=fhttps:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2024\/12\/03\/rep-raul-grijalva-d-arizona-passes-on-leadership-position-on-house-committee-on-natural-resources\/>Grijalva as the highest-ranking Democrat<\/a> on the <a href=https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov>House Committee on Natural Resources<\/a>.  He too said the fight to protect sacred sites will continue.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe final environmental impact statement on Resolution Copper will confirm what tribal leaders and experts have warned all along: foreign mining giants, through their subsidiary Resolution Copper, will irrevocably destroy Oak Flat, where Native peoples have gone to pray, seek spiritual cleansing, and conduct ceremonies since time immemorial,&#8221; <a href=https:\/\/democrats-naturalresources.house.gov\/media\/press-releases\/ranking-member-huffman-statement-on-supreme-courts-refusal-to-hear-apache-religious-freedom-case-on-mining-in-oak-flat>Huffman said in a news release<\/a> on Tuesday. &#8220;Oak Flat &#8212; a federally recognized National Historic Site &#8212; will be nothing more than a two-mile-wide, thousand-foot-deep crater once Resolution Copper is done hollowing it out. This will spell the end of the Apaches\u2019 religious practices forever, just so foreign mining corporations can make a quick buck. Because in America, your right to worship is sacred\u2014unless what you worship sits on valuable real estate.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cRio Tinto\u2019s scheme to mine Oak Flat is the latest chapter in a long, shameful history of extracting wealth from Native lands while destroying the communities who live there,&#8221; Huffman said in reference to one of the foreign companies backing the copper mine. &#8220;The Supreme Court may have turned its back for now, but the fight to protect this sacred place &#8212; and the people who depend on it  &#8212; is far from over.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/09\/06\/apache-stronghold-heads-back-to-court-to-protect-sacred-oak-flat\/oakflat-4\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-27783\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"802\" data-attachment-id=\"27783\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2022\/09\/06\/apache-stronghold-heads-back-to-court-to-protect-sacred-oak-flat\/oakflat-4\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/06\/OakFlat.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1200,802\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7SM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1631971922&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;85&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Oak Flat\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Oak Flat&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Oak Flat, known as Chi\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel in the Apache language, plays a central role in the health and well-being of the Apache people who go there for ceremonies, coming-of-age rites and other spiritual activities. Photo courtesy Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/06\/OakFlat-1024x684.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/06\/OakFlat.jpg\" alt=\"Oak Flat\"  class=\"size-full wp-image-27783\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"figure-caption\"> Oak Flat, known as Chi\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel in the Apache language, plays a central role in the health and well-being of the Apache people who go there for ceremonies, coming-of-age rites and other spiritual activities. Photo courtesy of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.<\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe <a href=https:\/\/www.nathpo.org>National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers<\/a> (NATHPO), a non-profit focused on protecting tribal cultural heritage,   joined a <a href=https:\/\/narf.org\/cases\/apache-oak-flat\/>brief in support of the Apache Stronghold<\/a> when the case was at the 9th Circuit. The group pointed to Gorsuch&#8217;s dissent as it reacted to the developments from the Supreme Court.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Allowing a mining development on Oak Flat is government-sanctioned religious desecration,&#8221;   NATHPO Executive Director  Valerie Grussing said on Tuesday. &#8220;As Justice Gorsuch wrote in his dissent, this ruling has &#8216;consequences that threaten to reverberate for generations.'&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;We hope the US Government and Resolution Copper will see the error of their ways and not demolish this centuries-old and still active religious site, and we will continue to stand with the Apache Stronghold and the Western Apache people in their continued efforts to save Oak Flat,&#8221; Grussing said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nEarlier in May, the <a href=https:\/\/becketfund.org\/media\/breaking-federal-court-halts-destruction-of-oak-flat\/>Apache Stronghold secured a preliminary injunction<\/a> that prevented the Department of Agriculture from finalizing the transfer of  Oak Flat until the Supreme Court resolved the issue. The San Carlos Apache Tribe had taken the ruling as a promising victory.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe believe this is the turning point in our 20-year fight to prevent the destruction of Oak Flat at the hands of the two largest mining companies in the world,\u201d  Chairman  Terry Rambler. said on May 10.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut the administration of President Donald Trump has already indicated that it plans to move forward as soon as possible with the Oak Flat transfer.  An <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/20250421161938082_24-291letter\/>April 21 letter<\/a> from the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/>Department of Justice<\/a> to the Supreme Court indicates that the <a href=https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us>final environmental impact statement<\/a> could  be published as soon as June 16.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nA <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/20250513154619626_letter-24-291apache\/>follow-up letter on May 13<\/a> stuck to the goals of giving the federal lands to the foreign  mining companies.   D. John Sauer, the <a href=https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/osg>Solicitor General of the United States<\/a>, argued that the Oak Flat transfer is &#8220;both mandated by statute and plainly in the national interest.&#8221;\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe letter was written after the Apache Stronghold, a day prior on May 12, <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/20250512113357770_apache-update-letterreemergency-injunction-final\/>informed the Supreme Court of the preliminary injunction<\/a>. The new activity appears to have finally given the justices a reason to stop relisting the petition.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt is hard to imagine a more brazen attack on faith than blasting the birthplace of Apache religion into a gaping crater,\u201d said Luke Goodrich, vice president and senior counsel at The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. \u201cThe Court\u2019s refusal to halt the destruction is a tragic departure from its strong record of defending religious freedom.\u201d \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe will do everything in our power to ensure that the Apaches can continue worshiping at Oak Flat as they have for generations,\u201d  Goodrich said.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1709\" data-attachment-id=\"11286\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/05\/06\/cronkite-news-bill-to-protect-sacred-apache-site-debated-on-capitol-hill\/oak-flat-arizona\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/oakflat-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1709\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;11&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Elias Butler Photography&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D810&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Oak Flat, Arizona&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1606843208&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;34&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;125&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.016666666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Oak Flat, Arizona&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Oak Flat, Arizona\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Oak Flat, Arizona and a grove of Emory oak trees in the Tonto National Forest. (Photo by Elias Butler)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/oakflat-1024x684.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/06\/oakflat-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Oak Flat, Arizona\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-11286\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Oak trees are seen in Oak Flat in the Tonto National Forest of Arizona. Photo by <a href=https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:EliasButler-OakFlat-2021.jpg>Elias Butler<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nResolution Copper, meanwhile, welcomed the news. The mining conglomerate said that it had engaged in &#8220;extensive consultation and collaboration&#8221; with tribal nations.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Resolution Copper mine is vital to securing America\u2019s energy future, infrastructure needs, and national defense with a domestic supply of copper and other critical minerals,&#8221; Vicky Peacey, the president and general manager of Resolution Copper, said in a <a href=https:\/\/resolutioncopper.com\/statement-attributable-to-vicky-peacey-general-manager-resolution-copper\/>statement on Tuesday<\/a>. &#8220;We are encouraged by the significant community support for the project, which has the potential to become one of the largest copper mines in America, add $1 billion a year to Arizona\u2019s economy, and create thousands of local jobs in a region where mining has played an important role for more than a century.\u201d\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cMore than a decade of extensive consultation and collaboration with Native American Tribes and local communities has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on Tribal, social, and cultural interests, and this ongoing dialogue will continue to shape the project,\u201d said Peacey.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOak Flat is about 40 miles east of Phoenix in the Tonto National Forest.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The long-running movement to protect Oak Flat from a massive copper mine is gaining renewed attention following a stinging rebuke from a key member of the U.S. Supreme Court.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":147237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,20,13,1,14],"tags":[5366,468,42,745,170,94,362,49,48,488,6452,217,3335,892,2446,429,1072,126,278,85,43,1622,597,84,598,154,556,2445,569,1120],"class_list":["post-147181","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-119th","tag-9th-circuit","tag-arizona","tag-clarence-thomas","tag-congress","tag-democrats","tag-doj","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-jared-huffman","tag-law-firm","tag-lobbying","tag-luke-goodrich","tag-mining","tag-nathpo","tag-neil-gorsuch","tag-oak-flat","tag-raul-grijalva","tag-religion","tag-republicans","tag-sacred-sites","tag-samuel-alito","tag-san-carlos-apache","tag-supreme-court","tag-terry-rambler","tag-treaties","tag-usda","tag-valerie-grussing","tag-wars","tag-wendsler-nosie","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/29\/oakflat.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-ChT","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147181","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=147181"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147181\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248062,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147181\/revisions\/248062"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/147237"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147181"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147181"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147181"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}