Trump Fires the Court-Appointed U.S. Attorney in Seattle Within an Hour of His Swearing-In

Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington issued a unanimous order appointing Roger Rogoff — a former federal and state prosecutor, King County Superior Court judge and director of the Washington State Office of Independent Investigation — as U.S. attorney for the district. Rogoff was sworn in at the federal courthouse in Seattle and, by his account to the Associated Press, received an email informing him of his termination while waiting in the lobby of the U.S. attorney's office. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing on X, writing that the judges had abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration. Senator Patty Murray called Rogoff eminently qualified and accused the administration of seeking to bypass the Senate's advice-and-consent role. Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is weighing a legal challenge.

Under 28 U.S.C. 546, district judges may appoint a U.S. attorney once a 120-day interim appointment lapses. The pattern of judicial appointment followed by immediate presidential removal has now recurred in Virginia, New Jersey, New York and Nevada, leaving districts led by officials whose appointments courts have in several instances found invalid — including in the Eastern District of Virginia, where a judge dismissed charges against James Comey and Letitia James after concluding Lindsey Halligan's appointment was invalid.

No nominee has been announced for the Seattle post, which has lacked a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney since mid-2023. The office remains led by first assistant Charles Neil Floyd.