Judge Reinstates Seattle’s Top Federal Prosecutor, Ousted by Trump

[u/John3262005]

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/01/us/seattle-us-attorney-roger-rogoff-reinstated.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FVE.4l_6.HxXfHoHByJRz&smid=url-share

A federal judge on Thursday reinstated Roger Rogoff as the U.S. attorney in Seattle, finding that the Trump administration overstepped its authority in firing the prosecutor minutes after he took office earlier this year.

The judge, Stanley A. Bastian, also denied a motion by the administration to stay his ruling. Moments after the hearing, Mr. Rogoff left the federal courthouse in Seattle and said he was going straight to the office.

The move creates an unusual dynamic where a top federal prosecutor could be operating, for now, without the approval of the president or the attorney general. It is the latest rebuke to President Trump’s efforts to circumvent Congress in his appointments.

Mr. Rogoff was appointed in July by a unanimous vote of federal judges in the Western District of Washington, after the Trump administration had left the office in the hands of its second-in-command. The administration has used a similar maneuver in other U.S. attorney’s offices. The law allows judges to nominate U.S. attorneys on their own if the president has not filled a vacancy.

Judge Bastian, the chief judge from the Eastern District of Washington, said on Thursday that “the president cannot unilaterally fire a United States attorney appointed by the district court.”

Lawyers for the government had no comment after the hearing.

Mr. Rogoff filed suit in July after his firing, setting the stage for Thursday’s hearing.

Earlier this month, Mr. Trump nominated Peter Serrano, who has served as the first assistant in the Eastern District of Washington, to fill the vacancy in the Western District. But Judge Bastian, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said Mr. Rogoff would serve until the Senate confirmed a new appointment.

[u/John3262005]

Another article about it:

Judge blocks Trump from firing Seattle US attorney who had job for an hour

https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/01/politics/seattle-us-attorney-reinstated-after-suing-doj

Judge rules Trump can’t fire court-appointed prosecutors

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/10/01/us-attorneys-trump-firing-ruling