Telescope opponents call for removal of equipment, vehicles from Mauna Kea after permit voided

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2015 file photo, Kupono Mele-Ana-Kekua, of Kaaawa, Hawaii, blows a conch shell near the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. Mele-Ana-Kekua had been camping on the mountain for about in protest of the Thirty Meter Telescope. The Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday, Dec. 2, invalidated a permit awarded for the construction of one of the world’s largest telescopes on a mountain many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File) (The Associated Press)

FILE - In this Aug. 31, 2015 file photo, a unidentified man opposed to the construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope stands outside a base camp near the summit of Mauna Kea on Hawaii's Big Island. The Hawaii Supreme Court on Wednesday, Dec. 2, invalidated a permit awarded for the construction of one of the world’s largest telescopes on a mountain many Native Hawaiians consider sacred. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones, File) (The Associated Press)

Opponents of the Thirty Meter Telescope want construction equipment and vehicles removed from Mauna Kea now that the Hawaii Supreme Court has invalidated the project's permit.

Leaders of the fight against the $1.4 billion telescope say the project no longer has a permit and therefore all equipment must be removed immediately.

The court ruled Wednesday ruled that the state land board approved the permit before a contested case hearing was held, in violation of due process rights. The court is sending the matter back for a new contested case hearing.

Project spokesman Scott Ishikawa says officials on Thursday are still assessing what to do next.

Kealoha Pisciotta, one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit challenging the permit, says opponents are prepared to proceed with a new hearing.