Brief of Apache Elder Ramon Riley, Professor Michalyn Steele, and Six Native American Rights and Cultural Heritage Organizations as Amici Curiae in Support of Petitioner

No. 24-291 Apache Stronghold v. United States of America On Petition for a Writ of Certiorari to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit From the Summary of Argument Meaningful access to sacred sites such as Oak Flat is an indispensable part of many Indigenous tribes’ religious exercise. Nonetheless, the government has repeatedly denied necessary access to these sites, and even destroyed them, thwarting the ability of tribal members to exercise core aspects of their spiritual practices. Regrettably, the Ninth Circuit’s errant decision denies the Apache people critical legal protections against such destruction—and thus only invites the government to do more of the same. That decision not only gets the law wrong, but it threatens to continue a long and lamentable history of government disregard for Indigenous religious practices. It must be corrected.