Fite v. Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde

OPINION

Background

This case has a long and substantial history that was compiled and recited in detail in the September 15, 2015, Order of the Tribal Court denying the appeal of the Appellants herein. That recitation includes a history of the Tribe and tribal membership, the evolution of the Grand Ronde Constitution and the enrollment ordinance, the tribal Enrollment Committee, and the hearings held involving the Appellants. Only a few key points from that history need be recounted for purposes of this Opinion.

In 2013 an enrollment audit determined four tribal members claiming descent from…