Overview

• A three‑judge 9th Circuit panel issued an emergency injunction late Monday, stopping the Aug. 19 transfer of roughly 2,400 acres at Oak Flat to Resolution Copper.
• The court set an expedited timetable, with the appeals process beginning Sept. 8 and arguments expected later this year.
• Plaintiffs including the San Carlos Apache Tribe and conservation groups argue the government must complete a comprehensive NEPA review covering tailings‑dam failure risks, pipelines, emergency plans, and all related infrastructure.
• The U.S. Forest Service contends Congress mandated the land swap in a 2014 defense bill, leaving the agency no discretion to block the transfer.
• President Trump criticized the injunction on Truth Social and met at the White House with the CEOs of Rio Tinto and BHP alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, as the company touts jobs and opponents warn of a giant crater and groundwater depletion.