US judge reinstates Seattle prosecutor dismissed by Trump
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump unlawfully removed Roger Rogoff, the court-appointed US attorney for western Washington, and ordered his reinstatement. The Justice Department said it would appeal. The decision is the latest dispute over the administration’s treatment of prosecutors appointed by federal judges.
A US federal judge has overturned President Donald Trump’s removal of Roger Rogoff as the court-appointed US attorney for the Western District of Washington and ordered that he be reinstated. The 17 active and senior judges in the district appointed Rogoff, a former judge and veteran prosecutor, in July after Trump failed to install a nominee confirmed by the Senate. Trump dismissed him less than an hour later.
Rogoff then filed a lawsuit. In Thursday’s ruling, US District Judge Stanley Bastian said federal law allowed the district’s judges to appoint a US attorney when a president had not filled the position with a Senate-confirmed nominee. The law authorised the appointee to serve “until the vacancy is filled”, Bastian wrote, adding that it did not permit the president simply to fire the person selected by the judges.
Bastian concluded that Rogoff had been the lawful US attorney since taking the oath of office on July 15, 2026. The Justice Department said it disagreed with the ruling and would appeal. Presidents normally appoint the leading federal prosecutors in each judicial district, subject to Senate confirmation.
Temporary appointments can last up to 120 days. If such an appointment expires before a nominee is confirmed, district judges can appoint a US attorney. The ABC News report said the Trump administration had sought to keep unconfirmed prosecutors in office through personnel changes.
Trump appointed Charles Neil Floyd as interim US attorney in Seattle in October 2025 but did not send his nomination to the Senate. After the interim period ended, the administration made him first assistant US attorney while leaving the top post vacant. Trump later nominated Pete Serrano, the first assistant US attorney in eastern Washington, for the Seattle post, but the Senate had not confirmed him.
Washington Senator Patty Murray opposed the nomination and called Thursday’s ruling a victory for the rule of law. Rogoff is among several judicially appointed prosecutors removed by the administration and is believed to be the first to sue. The report also cited disputes in New Jersey, Virginia and northern New York involving appointments or dismissals of federal prosecutors.
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