Judge Orders Trump to Reinstate Fired U.S. Attorney

Chief Judge Stanley Bastian of the federal court in Yakima ordered the Trump administration to reinstate Roger Rogoff as the court-appointed U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington. The ruling follows a dispute over the removal of Rogoff, whom President Donald Trump fired less than an hour after his appointment on July 15, 2026.

In a preliminary ruling, Bastian stated that the president cannot unilaterally fire a U.S. attorney appointed by a district court. He noted that Congress did not grant the president sole power to fill such an inferior office. The court ordered the administration to grant Rogoff access to the benefits and resources of the office, asserting that Rogoff has been the rightful holder of the position since his oath of office in July.

The United States Department of Justice argued that the firing fell within executive power. This case marks the first legal victory for a court-appointed prosecutor removed by the Trump administration, which has previously ousted similar officials in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. President Trump has since nominated Pete Serrano to lead the office.