Judge reinstates Seattle US attorney fired by Trump
This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.
A federal judge on Thursday reinstated Roger Rogoff as U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, ruling President Donald Trump lacked authority to fire him. Judge Stanley Bastian granted a preliminary injunction and ordered the Justice Department not to obstruct Rogoff's duties. The ruling blocks Trump's effort to install his preferred pick without Senate confirmation.
Key Facts
- Judge Stanley Bastian of the Eastern District of Washington granted the preliminary injunction from the bench on Thursday.
- Roger Rogoff was fired by Trump in July less than an hour after the district's 17 federal judges appointed him U.S. attorney.
- Bastian ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche not to obstruct Rogoff's access to his office.
- Trump had appointed Charles Neil Floyd as interim U.S. attorney last year and later kept him in the role as 'first assistant' without Senate confirmation.
The Ruling
Judge Stanley Bastian ruled from the bench that Trump's removal of Rogoff was unconstitutional. Bastian said he would not permit a stay of his decision. He ordered Attorney General Todd Blanche not to obstruct Rogoff's access to his office as the district's federal law enforcement chief. Bastian stated that allowing the president to fire a court-appointed U.S. attorney would upend the constitutional and statutory framework.
Appointment Dispute
The Western District of Washington's 17 sitting federal judges appointed Rogoff after Trump failed to formally nominate his own pick. Trump fired Rogoff via email less than an hour after the appointment in July. Trump had appointed Charles Neil Floyd as interim U.S. attorney last year and later used a workaround to keep him in the position as 'first assistant' without Senate confirmation. Rogoff sued Trump and the attorney general, arguing the firing violated a federal statute that authorizes district judges to appoint a U.S. attorney when there is no formal nomination or Senate hearing.
Legal Implications
The preliminary injunction deals a setback to the Trump administration's strategy of installing preferred U.S. attorney picks in blue districts without Senate confirmation. The Western Washington judges who appointed Rogoff recused themselves from the case, and Bastian came from the Eastern District of Washington to preside. Trump finally nominated someone to be U.S. attorney for the district, according to The Seattle Times.
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