Apaches ask appeals court to oppose transfer of Arizona land

By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — An attorney for members of the San Carlos Apache tribe has asked the the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to back a nonprofit group’s efforts to keep a copper mining company from gaining federal Arizona land the Apaches consider sacred. The attorney for Apache Stronghold said Friday the transfer would affect the survival of the Apache people. An attorney for the U.S. government responded that the transfer must proceed because it was part of legislation approved by Congress. The three-court panel did not immediately issue a ruling and will release a decision later.