Law | National

Nooksack Tribe moves to disenroll even more people amid big fight






The Nooksack Tribe of Washington is trying to remove 306 people from the rolls. Photo from The Nooksack 306 / Facebook

The Nooksack Tribe of Washington is trying to disenroll 40 more people, The Seattle Times reports, as it faces fire over its handling of a larger disenrollment case.

Carmen Tageant, a council member, told the paper that the tribe is living under a "dictatorship." “We need help,” she said.

Tageant said she voted against a council resolution that allowed the tribe to disbar Gabe Galanda, a prominent attorney who has been representing the Nooksack 306, the larger group that is facing disenrollment.

But the two votes weren't enough to stop Chairman Bob Kelly from carrying out his campaign against Galanda. Kelly accused Galanda of acting unethically but could only cite one example -- something that occurred on another reservation, when Galanda was serving as a tribal judge and not as an attorney.

“When we decide the time is right, we’ll tell the story,” Kelly told the paper.

Galanda is a member of the Round Valley Indian Tribes and his disbarment in Nooksack court could affect his standing in other jurisdictions. He's contemplating a lawsuit against the tribe's attorneys, the Times reported.

Turtle Talk has posted recent documents in the case, Belmont v. Kelly, including a filing from the tribe.

Get the Story:
Nooksack leaders disbar lawyer fighting tribal disenrollments (The Seattle Times 3/17)

Join the Conversation

Related Stories:
Nooksack Tribe interferes with judicial branch and disbars law firm (3/9)
Al Jazeera program focuses on tribal disenrollment controversies (3/4)
Chase Iron Eyes: Real sovereigns don't disenroll their own people (02/10)
National campaign launched to stop tribal disenrollment epidemic (02/09)
Nooksack Tribe loses bid to prevent some from voting in election (01/27)
Gabe Galanda: The tide keeps turning against disenrollment (11/16)
Gabe Galanda: The growing chorus against disenrollments (11/13)
Gabriel Galanda: Banish drug dealers but don't disenroll them (09/08)
Nooksack Tribe disenrollment proceedings placed on hold again (07/14)
Indian attorneys take a stand and denounce tribal disenrollment (04/13)
Judge tells Nooksack Tribe to delay disenrollment proceedings (02/24)
Nooksack Tribe moves forward with disenrollment proceedings (02/10)
Gabe Galanda: The legal consequences of tribal disenrollments (2/3)
Gabe Galanda: Tribes are carrying out the wishes of the colonizer (01/16)
Gabe Galanda: Disenrollments are bankrupting our tribal nations (01/15)
Court tells Nooksack Tribe to stop disenrollment proceedings (06/13)
Nooksack Tribe attempts to resume disenrollment proceedings (6/4)
KUOW: Nooksack Tribe election shows divide on disenrollment (03/18)
Disenrollees of Nooksack Tribe to seek recount after election (3/17)
Opinion: Nooksack Tribe engages in deadly disenrollment trend (3/14)
Opinion: Nooksack Tribe's election affects disenrollment dispute (03/03)
Michelle Roberts: Open letter on Nooksack Tribe disenrollment (2/27)
Nooksack Tribe heads into election amid disenrollment dispute (2/18)
Court puts hold on disenrollments within Nooksack Tribe (01/23)
Michelle Roberts: Nooksack Tribe persecutes its own people (12/17)