An escalating constitutional battle between the Trump administration and the federal judiciary reached a new threshold Wednesday morning. President Donald Trump fired newly appointed Seattle U.S. Attorney Roger Rogoff less than an hour after 17 federal judges unanimously swore him into the position.
The termination in the Western District of Washington highlights a deliberate administration strategy to bypass Senate confirmation for top prosecutors. By letting interim 120-day terms expire and redesignating candidates as first assistants, the executive branch has repeatedly clashed with district courts attempting to exercise their statutory authority to fill the resulting vacancies.
Rogoff, a veteran state and federal prosecutor, took the oath of office at 7:40 a.m. local time to replace interim appointee Neil Floyd. He was informed of his dismissal exactly 54 minutes later via email and text message while sitting in the lobby of the U.S. District Courthouse waiting to meet with Floyd. This swift sequence of events, alongside Rogoff’s extensive prosecutorial background, was detailed in a local report covering the Wednesday morning standoff.
The administration maintains that the dismissal falls squarely within executive power. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the immediate firing, arguing that the President retains constitutional authority to terminate any court-appointed prosecutor who fails to consult with the administration, according to the Washington Examiner. Blanche acknowledged that while federal judges have the statutory right to appoint a temporary prosecutor, the executive branch controls their continued employment.
Political fallout was immediate. Senator Patty Murray, who had previously opposed Floyd’s interim designation, condemned the move. She accused the administration of abandoning the advice-and-consent process to “install cronies to carry out a corrupt political agenda” in a written statement released shortly after the firing. Rogoff is now consulting with legal counsel to explore a potential lawsuit against the administration.
The Seattle dismissal mirrors identical administration actions against court-appointed prosecutors in New York, Nevada, New Jersey, and Virginia, including Donald Kinsella and Tessa Gorman. This systematic removal of judicial appointees has triggered ongoing federal appeals court battles, with at least one appellate panel recently ruling against the administration for unlawfully bypassing the formal appointment process.