The Hawaiian Supreme Court just blocked the construction of a giant telescope

Hawaii's Supreme Court just ruled that the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) can't be built on the summit of Mauna Kea, the island chain's tallest peak.

The ruling, which found the telescope's construction permit invalid, is being hailed as a big win by native Hawaiians who consider the land on Mauna Kea sacred ground, as well as supporters who sympathize with their cause.

The court decided TMT Corporation's permit was invalid because, back in 2011, Hawaii's Board of Land and Natural Resources approved the permit before native Hawaiian protesters could make their case in a hearing.

Protesters argued they were not given due process, and they twice demonstrated on Mauna Kea this year to block the start of the telescope's construction.

"Quite simply, the Board put the cart before the horse when it issued the permit," the court decision says. "Accordingly, the permit cannot stand."

It's unclear what TMT's next move will be. At the very least, the corporation will have to get another permit from the Board.

"We thank the Hawaii Supreme Court for the timely ruling and we respect their decision," Henry Yang, chair of the TMT board of directors, said in an emailed statement to Tech Insider. "TMT will follow the process set forth by the state, as we always have. We are assessing our next steps on the way forward. We appreciate and thank the people of Hawaii and our supporters from these last eight-plus years.”

TMT was set to be the northern hemisphere compliment to another mega telescope called the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT) already being built in Chile.

The clear, dry sky above Mauna Kea is an unparalleled window into the cosmos. TMT would be able to see farther and clearer into the universe than we ever have before.

Thirteen other telescopes already exist near the summit, but some natives believe advances in astronomy can't justify further desecration of the mountain.

Some took to Twitter to express relief over the ruling:

Meanwhile, some scientists weighed in with mixed reactions:

TMT tried to approach building on Mauna Kea differently than other large telescopes have in the past; the current telescopes only pay Hawaii one dollar per year to rent space on the mountain and rarely hire native Hawaiians.

Scientists behind TMT are instead offering to pay $1 million per year to lease the land. They also want to set up a workforce pipeline and spend $1 million per year on STEM education in Hawaii to direct native Hawaiians into jobs within the astronomy community on Mauna Kea.

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