For Immediate Release—May 28, 2025
MEDIA STATEMENT
New York, NY—Today, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case Apache Stronghold v. United States, clearing the way for the destruction of Oak Flat, a sacred Western Apache site in Arizona. Apache Stronghold—an advocacy group that includes members of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and conservationist allies—are challenging the federal land transfer, arguing that the transfer would allow for the largest copper mine in North America and violate Native American religious rights by obliterating their sacred site. Justice Gorsuch disagreed with the court’s refusal to hear the case, calling it a “grievous mistake—one with consequences that threaten to reverberate for generations.” The following statement from Judith LeBlanc, executive director of Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, can be quoted in full or in part.
“The Supreme Court’s refusal to hear the Apache Stronghold case is both a moral failure and a grave injustice to all Native peoples. By declining to act, the Court has ignored clear violations of Tribal treaties and the constitutionally protected rights of sovereign Indigenous nations. As Apache Stronghold argued, the proposed land transfer also violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which is intended to shield communities from precisely this kind of government intrusion on sacred religious practices.
Oak Flat is not just land—it is a living, breathing sacred site that the Apache people have honored, protected, and relied upon since time immemorial. The proposed copper mine threatens to erase thousands of years of spiritual, cultural, and ecological connection in the name of corporate profit.
All public lands exist on Indigenous homelands, and NOA Action Fund firmly opposes any policy that disregards Tribal sovereignty or restricts Native peoples from practicing their cultural and religious traditions.
We stand in solidarity with Apache Stronghold. The fight to protect Oak Flat—and all Indigenous sacred places—is far from over.”
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