Despite last year’s Supreme Court setback, Native tribes continue fight over sacred lands

Tribes claim they have constitutional and treaty rights to use planned mining site

Aerial photo of a portion of Oak Flat courtesy of Ecoflight.

When the Supreme Court nearly a year ago refused to hear the appeal of a coalition of Indian tribes over plans to dig a huge open-pit copper mine at Oak Flat, Ariz., it looked like legal hopes for the tribes had been vanquished.

But that appears no longer to be the case.

The tribes, united for l…