Supreme Court Update

As you may have heard, the federal government on Thursday, April 17, announced that it plans, as early as June 16, to publish a final environmental impact statement and begin moving forward with the transfer and destruction of Oak Flat. We have filed an emergency motion in federal district court to ensure that the government cannot transfer Oak Flat before the Supreme Court decides whether to take the case. The court has scheduled a hearing on our emergency motion for May 7, 2025, at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Judge Steven P. Logan, in the Sandra Day O’Connor United States Courthouse, located at 401 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85003, 5th Floor, Courtroom 501.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court also considered our petition at its latest conference on April 25, 2025. The Court issued a list of orders this morning, but did not take any action in our case. The next time the Court could consider our petition is at its next conference on May 2, 2025. We could hear on May 5 or afterward whether the Court will take our case, or the Court may take additional time for further consideration.

Either way, we take these developments as a sign that both the Supreme Court and the district court are giving our case careful examination. Until the Supreme Court issues an order in our case, any Justice can still change his or her mind at any time. We are also asking the district court to immediately halt the transfer and destruction of Oak Flat. Thus, we ask all of our supporters to continue praying that the courts will agree to hear our case and protect Oak Flat—just as the sacred places of other faiths have long been protected throughout the country. Thank you again for your support.