A petition for certiorari (full text) was filed this week with the U.S. Supreme Court in Apache Stronghold v. United States, (Sup. Ct., filed 9/11/2024). In the case, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals sitting en banc, by a vote of 6-5, refused to enjoin the government from transferring to a copper mining company federally-owned forest land that is of significant spiritual value to the Western Apache Indians. (See prior posting.) The petition for review raises issues under both RFRA and the 1st Amendment’s Free Exercise clause. Becket Fund issued a press release announcing the filing of the petition seeking Supreme Court review.
