Federal judge orders reinstatement of Seattle U.S. attorney fired by Trump

What This is

• A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Trump administration from firing Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington.
• The judge said the president’s power to remove U.S. attorneys applies to those confirmed by the Senate, not to a U.S. attorney appointed by a court.
• Judge Stanley Bastian said district judges lawfully appointed Rogoff after an interim appointment expired.
• The judge said federal law lets judges fill prolonged U.S. attorney vacancies, and he found Rogoff’s firing violated that law.
• Rogoff sued after he was fired in July, less than an hour after being sworn in.
• The Justice Department said it plans to appeal the ruling.

Why This Matters

• The fight is about how much control a president has over federal prosecutors when judges, not the White House and Senate, fill a long-running vacancy.
• It could change how often courts can keep a U.S. attorney in place when the Senate has not confirmed a nominee, affecting the balance of power between the executive branch and the courts.
• It may affect how independent federal charging decisions feel in practice, because who leads a U.S. attorney’s office can shape priorities even without changing the law.