by 
On Friday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that Resolution Copper Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Compensation Act must be upheld.
The Apache Stronghold group appealed a lower court’s decision, saying that if the mine is allowed to open and the land is exchanged it will prohibit their right to worship and limit their freedom of religion. It is reported that the Apache Stronghold group will appeal the Ninth Circuit Courts decision to the Supreme Court. They have 45 days to file a case.
The 2-1 ruling was based on whether the United States Government can do what it wants with its land. The court ruling explained that the mine would not prohibit tribal members from worshipping.
The Save Oak Flats bill proposed by Rep. Raul Grijalva has not made much progress through this Congress. The Save Oak Flats bill would repeal the land exchange legislation and would prohibit mining in the area. The land exchange bill was passed in December 2014 under the National Defense Authorization Act.
by by