Roger Rogoff Sues Trump After Firing 1 Hour After Judges Appointed Him US Attorney
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jul 21
Roger Rogoff Sues Trump After Firing 1 Hour After Judges Appointed Him US Attorney
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jul 21
Summary
Roger Rogoff sued the Trump administration Tuesday after he was fired less than an hour after federal judges unanimously appointed him U.S. attorney for Washington state's Western District.
His complaint says judges may fill the post until a Senate-confirmed nominee takes office, and argues Trump cannot override that process because no nominee has yet been confirmed.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said district judges bypassed the administration's usual consultation process and asserted that while judges can make temporary appointments, the president can fire those appointees.
The case is the first known lawsuit of its kind and lands amid wider clashes over interim U.S. attorneys, including dismissed cases in Northern Virginia and an appeals-court ruling that forced Alina Habba from the New Jersey post.
Who controls top prosecutors: the president who can fire or the court that can hire?
What does one prosecutor’s lawsuit reveal about the future of judicial independence?
Fired in an Hour: The 2026 Roger Rogoff Case and the Battle Over Presidential Removal of Court-Appointed U.S. Attorneys
Overview
On July 15, 2026, federal judges appointed Roger Rogoff as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington. Rogoff publicly stated he would carry out the administration’s priorities, but the Trump administration fired him the next day. This swift dismissal sparked immediate and sharp criticism from political figures, including Senator Patty Murray, who condemned the firing as undermining judicial authority. The incident highlights a growing conflict between the judiciary’s power to appoint interim U.S. Attorneys and the President’s authority to remove them, raising major questions about the balance of power and the independence of federal prosecutions.