Trump Fires US Attorney in Seattle Minutes After Swearing-In

President Donald Trump fired Roger Rogoff as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington on Wednesday, just 54 minutes after the veteran prosecutor was sworn into office following a unanimous appointment by all 17 federal judges in the district. The abrupt dismissal marks the latest escalation in a nationwide standoff between the Trump administration and federal courts over control of prosecutorial appointments.

Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge with 20 years of experience as a state prosecutor and six as a federal prosecutor, was sworn in before 8:00 a.m. local time at the federal courthouse in downtown Seattle. He learned of his firing via email while waiting in the lobby of the U.S. Attorney’s Office to meet with Charles Neil Floyd, the Trump administration’s preferred choice for the position, according to CBS News.

A Swift and Unprecedented Dismissal

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the firing on X (formerly Twitter) while testifying at his own Senate confirmation hearing. “District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them,” Blanche wrote. “WDWA judges abandoned the time-honored process of consultation with the administration so that the selected U.S. Attorney is qualified to serve in the administration. Roger Rogoff has been fired by the President,” as reported by Fox News.

The Western District of Washington has not had a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney since mid-2023, during the Biden administration. Trump appointed Charles Neil Floyd as interim U.S. attorney in October 2025, but his 120-day term expired in February 2026. Rather than submitting Floyd’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation, the administration kept him in place as first assistant U.S. attorney while leaving the top job vacant.

In response, the district’s federal judges — appointed by five presidents, with 10 named by Democrats and seven by Republicans — opened an application process and unanimously selected Rogoff on July 15. Chief U.S. District Judge David G. Estudillo signed the order appointing Rogoff, citing the “longstanding United States Attorney vacancy” in the district, according to the court’s appointment order.

Legal and Political Fallout

Rogoff has retained an employment law firm and is considering legal action over his dismissal. “I don’t think it’s the way to run the Department of Justice,” Rogoff told The New York Times. “When you have this sort of made up way of putting people in these positions, the process breaks down.”

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) sharply criticized the firing. “Throughout his career, he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service, and he was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington,” Murray said in a statement. “This administration doesn’t want to deal with advice and consent — they just want to install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda,” as USA Today reported.

Broader Pattern of Conflict

The Seattle firing is part of a nationwide pattern of confrontations between the Trump administration and federal courts over U.S. attorney appointments. In New Jersey, Alina Habba — Trump’s former personal lawyer — resigned as acting U.S. attorney in December 2025 after an appeals court ruled she was serving unlawfully. In Virginia, Lindsey Halligan left her post as interim U.S. attorney in January 2026 after a judge found her appointment unlawful and dismissed criminal charges she had brought against former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

Similar disputes have emerged in New York’s Northern District, where John Sarcone was rejected by district judges, and in Nevada, where a judge ruled the administration’s acting U.S. attorney was not validly serving. Multiple federal appeals courts are currently considering the legality of the administration’s appointment maneuvers, as The Guardian noted.

What’s Next

Rogoff’s potential lawsuit could test the boundaries of presidential authority over court-appointed prosecutors. Meanwhile, the Senate continues to consider Todd Blanche’s nomination for Attorney General, a process that may now be complicated by the Rogoff firing. The Western District of Washington remains without a confirmed U.S. attorney, and the broader legal questions surrounding the administration’s appointment tactics are expected to reach higher courts in the coming months.

“I’m really proud of my career,” Rogoff said. “The fact that the judges of this district — most of whom I’ve spent my career appearing in front of, or trying cases against, or working with — believed that I was the right person to do this work is just really humbling and amazing.”