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)
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