Supreme Court declines to halt sacred land transfer

(CNN, KYMA/KECY) - The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to halt a land transfer in Arizona that Western Apache people say will destroy a sacred land site in order to mine for copper.

This decision leaves in place a lower court ruling that lets a transfer by the federal government to go forward. Congress had approved the transfer of the federal property into the Tonto National Forest back in 2014.

The land includes a site known as Oak Flat where native tribes have practiced religious ceremonies for centuries.

The case arrived at the Supreme Court in January, and the Biden administration defended the transfer, saying that Congress has specifically mandated that Oak Flat be transferred so that the area can be used for mining.