Federal judges appointed Seattle’s top prosecutor. Trump fired him within the hour. A judge put him back.

What happened

On July 15, 2026, the federal judges of the Western District of Washington appointed Roger Rogoff U.S. attorney, after the office had gone without a Senate-confirmed prosecutor. Federal law lets district judges fill the post when the president’s interim appointee’s time runs out. Rogoff, a former King County judge and federal prosecutor, was fired less than an hour after he was sworn in. He sued.

On October 1, Chief Judge Stanley Bastian of the Eastern District of Washington, hearing the case after Seattle’s federal judges recused, reinstated Rogoff immediately. His order bars the administration from removing Rogoff until a Senate-confirmed replacement is in place. “The president cannot unilaterally fire a U.S. attorney appointed by the district court,” Bastian said.

The Justice Department said it disagreed and would seek an immediate stay and appeal.

Who benefited

The president, who keeps prosecutors’ offices in the hands of acting officials he picks rather than nominees the Senate must confirm or prosecutors the courts appoint. The ruling limits that in one district while the appeal runs.

Who wanted something

The administration, which has asked the Supreme Court to approve its acting U.S. attorney workaround. Firing a court-appointed prosecutor within the hour applied the same approach to a judge’s choice.

Who lost out

For eleven weeks, Western Washington’s federal prosecutor’s office was not led by the prosecutor the district’s judges appointed. Rogoff spent that time suing for a job he had held for under an hour.

Why it matters

The law gives district judges the power to appoint a U.S. attorney so that a president cannot leave the office in acting hands indefinitely. The ruling enforces that rule, for now, in one of the country’s 93 U.S. attorney’s offices.

Sources KUOWBloomberg Law