The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction halting a federal land transfer in Arizona that is pivotal to developing the Resolution Copper mine, a joint venture of Rio Tinto and BHP. The swap, scheduled to be completed this week, would hand over federally owned forest acreage containing one of North America’s largest known copper deposits. Project backers say the mine would create about 3,800 jobs and bolster domestic supply of the metal. Former President Donald Trump condemned the ruling on his Truth Social platform, calling the San Francisco-based panel a "radical left court" and characterizing opponents of the mine as "anti-American" working on behalf of rival copper-producing nations. Trump said an expedited appeal will be filed, insisting that "our country needs copper, and now." The injunction came in response to legal challenges from a Native American tribe and environmental groups, which argue the government has not fully assessed potential risks such as dam and pipeline failures associated with the proposed operation. The appellate court will now weigh whether the congressionally mandated land exchange meets federal environmental and cultural-review requirements.