Judge delays transfer of Oak Flat sacred site

A federal judge in Phoenix issued an injunction Friday that delays the transfer of Oak Flat, an Indigenous religious site in Arizona, to a multinational copper mining company, according to reporting by Grist. The judge called for a 60-day delay to allow advocates for Oak Flat to review an upcoming U.S. Forest Service environmental impact statement, expected June 16. The San Carlos Apache Tribe and a coalition of organizations, including the Center for Biological Diversity and a local Sierra Club Chapter, requested the delay. This decision comes after the United States Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal in the case more than a week ago, allowing a lower court order approving the transfer to stand.