Who is Roger Rogoff? Trump fires new Seattle chief prosecutor less than an hour after judge appoints him
Veteran prosecutor and former Washington state judge Roger Rogoff briefly became the top federal prosecutor in western Washington on Wednesday. However, the president Donald Trump Within an hour, he was removed from office.
Rogoff was sworn in at about 8 a.m. in federal court in Seattle after a U.S. District Court judge for the Western District of Washington unanimously appointed Rogoff to the position. However, while waiting to meet with officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he received an email informing him that the Trump administration had terminated his appointment.
Rogoff said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is now considering legal action. “I’m negotiating with other attorneys to file a lawsuit regarding my dismissal,” he said.
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Who is Roger Rogoff?
Roger Rogoff is a longtime Washington prosecutor with experience in state and federal courts.
According to the Associated Press, he served as a state prosecutor for 20 years and a federal prosecutor for six years. At the time he was serving as a Washington state judge. Throughout his career, he has handled criminal prosecutions and appears frequently in federal courts in Western Washington.
His appointment follows a unanimous vote of the district’s 17 current senior federal judges, who were appointed by five different U.S. presidents. The court selected Rogoff after reviewing the application through a bipartisan panel established to recommend candidates.
After being dismissed, Rogoff reflected on the appointment. “I’m very proud of my career,” he told The Associated Press.
“The fact that judges in this district — most of whom I have appeared before, heard opposing cases, or worked with in my career — believe that I am the right person for this job is truly humbling and amazing.”
Democratic Senator Patty Murray, who represents Washington, criticized his firing, saying: “Throughout his career he has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to public service and he was lawfully appointed by a federal judge in the Western District of Washington.”
Rogoff also described serving as U.S. attorney as a prosecutor’s “best job.”
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Why was Rogoff fired so quickly?
At issue is the appointment of Charles Neil Floyd, whom Trump appointed as interim U.S. attorney in October 2025.
Under federal law, temporary U.S. attorneys generally serve for 120 days. If the Senate has not confirmed the presidential nominee by then, a federal district judge can appoint a replacement.
A federal appeals court questioned the legality of the practice in May, prompting judges in western Washington to begin their own appointment process. They unanimously selected Rogoff Wednesday morning. (Source: AP News.)
Hours later, acting Attorney General Todd Branch defended the president’s decision in a post on X. He accused the judge of abandoning “the time-honored process of consultation with the government so that elected U.S. attorneys are qualified to serve in the government.”
“A district court judge can appoint a temporary U.S. attorney and the president can fire them,” Branch wrote.
