President Donald Trump fired Seattle U.S. Attorney Roger Rogoff within 54 minutes of his swearing-in Wednesday morning, continuing a pattern of swift removals of federal judges’ court-appointed prosecutors.
Rogoff, a former federal prosecutor and state court judge, was unanimously appointed by judges in the Western District of Washington under federal statute 28 U.S.C. Section 546(d), which allows district courts to appoint a U.S. Attorney when an interim appointment expires and the position remains vacant. The appointment came after Trump failed to nominate or secure Senate confirmation for a U.S. Attorney in the district for roughly three years, according to Reuters.
The judges issued their appointment order on Wednesday morning before Trump fired him. Rogoff was sworn in before 8 a.m. by Chief U.S. District Judge David Estudillo and received an email from the Trump administration’s personnel office while waiting in a lobby to meet with the interim U.S. Attorney, according to KING 5. The email informed him he had been terminated.
“I think the email sent message from the president. The president has asked me to inform you … that pursuant to whatever authority he has, you are removed from the Office of the U.S. Attorney,” Rogoff told KING 5, recalling the message.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the firing on social media, stating that “District court judges can appoint a temporary U.S. Attorney, and POTUS can fire them.” Blanche accused the judges of abandoning “the time-honored process of consultation with the administration” so that the selected attorney would be “qualified to serve in the administration,” according to Reuters.
The Department of Justice told KING 5 that “consistent with other firings of this type, this is wholly within the President’s authority.”
Rogoff said he was considering legal action. “We are considering our options and have a group of lawyers who have agreed to help,” he told Reuters, adding, “To me, the rule of law is everything for the way these things work.”
A Pattern of Judicial Clashes
This firing marks the second time in recent months that Trump has rapidly removed a court-appointed U.S. Attorney. In February 2026, the Trump administration fired James Hundley just hours after federal judges in the Eastern District of Virginia unanimously appointed him as U.S. Attorney, according to NBC News and the Washington Post. Hundley, a veteran litigator with more than three decades of experience, had been chosen after judges in Virginia faced similar circumstances—a Trump administration that had left the position vacant without nominating a Senate-confirmed replacement.
The Virginia judges had appointed Hundley after an interim U.S. Attorney’s 120-day term expired under federal law. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche announced Hundley’s firing on social media shortly after his appointment, according to the ABA Journal.
Rogoff’s background includes 14 years as a King County prosecutor, six years as an assistant U.S. attorney in Seattle, seven years as a King County Superior Court judge, and service as director of Washington’s Office of Independent Investigations, according to KING 5. The judges’ appointment order noted the district had been without a Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney for three years and that Rogoff “has deep ties to the Western District of Washington and has devoted his career to serving its citizens,” according to Reuters.
Democratic U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington condemned the firing, saying Rogoff “was appointed legally by the federal judges in the Western District of Washington” and calling him “eminently qualified.” She criticized the administration for not wanting “to deal with advice and consent,” according to KING 5.
Sources
- KING 5 — Rogoff’s statement about the firing, his background, and the DOJ’s response
- Reuters — Rogoff’s consideration of legal action, Blanche’s statement, appointment order details, and the three-year vacancy
- The Guardian — Details on the judges’ appointment process and Rogoff’s professional background
- NBC News — James Hundley firing in Virginia in February 2026
- Washington Post — Details on the Virginia U.S. Attorney firing and its timing
- ABA Journal — Hundley’s appointment and firing by Blanche
