https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/hawaiian-supreme-court-gives-go-ahead-to-giant-telescope/ > The giant volcanoes of Hawaii's Big Island held a special place for the Polynesians who first settled there, with the peak of Mauna Kea being reserved for that society's elite. But in recent years, they've become home to a new kind of elite: some of the best telescopes humanity has designed. For the past several years, those legacies have clashed through a mix of protests, hearings, and legal maneuvers. > Scientists wanted to build one of our next-generation giant telescopes on Mauna Kea and received approval from the state to do so. But native Hawaiians and their supporters, disturbed by the ever-growing population of observatories and poor past stewardship of the mountain, protested and appealed. Now, the state's Supreme Court has issued what appears to be a comprehensive ruling that upholds the latest construction approval from the Board of Land and Natural Resources. This appears to clear the last hurdle astronomers faced before starting construction.