Judge reinstates US attorney in Washington fired by Trump
King County Superior Court Judge Roger Rogoff stands in court Oct. 10, 2016, in Seattle. (Photo by Ted S. Warren/The Associated Press)
In the tug of war over whether Roger Rogoff can serve as the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, a federal judge reinstated him Thursday.
President Donald Trump’s administration had fired Rogoff over the summer less than an hour after he was sworn in to the position. But in a ruling from the bench, Chief U.S. District Judge Stanley Bastian of the Eastern District of Washington said the Trump administration exceeded its authority.
“The court finds it is in the public interest that the law be followed and Mr. Rogoff take the office to which he has already taken the oath of office,” Bastian said.
After a previous U.S. attorney for the district resigned in 2023, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington announced that it intended to appoint an attorney to serve in the position unless the Trump administration appointed someone by February.
The court appointed Rogoff on July 15 and swore him in that same day. However, the deputy director of personnel quickly sent an email informing Rogoff that Trump had directed that Rogoff be removed from office, according to a story by Courthouse News Service.
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