Trump Fires U.S. Attorney Rogoff Minutes After Swearing-In

President Donald Trump fired Roger Rogoff as the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington on July 15, 2026, only 54 minutes after federal judges swore him into the position. Rogoff received the termination notice via email and text while waiting in the lobby of the U.S. District Courthouse in Seattle.

The appointment by 17 active and senior federal judges followed a nearly three-year vacancy and a standoff between the judiciary and the administration. The administration had previously avoided the Senate nomination process by shifting interim attorney Charles Neil Floyd's title to first assistant.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the dismissal, asserting that the president has the authority to fire court-appointed temporary attorneys. Blanche accused the judges of abandoning the standard consultation process to ensure an appointee is qualified to serve in the administration.

Rogoff, a former King County Superior Court judge, has retained an employment law firm to weigh a legal challenge, arguing the summary dismissal was likely unlawful and unconstitutional. Senator Patty Murray condemned the move as an attempt to install cronies and bypass the rule of law. This incident follows similar swift dismissals of U.S. attorneys in New York and New Jersey, highlighting a broader pattern of disputes over the use of acting officials to avoid Senate confirmation.