US Attorney Who Lasted an Hour Isn't Taking His Firing Lightly

In Seattle, a fight over who gets to fire a federal prosecutor just landed in court. Roger Rogoff, bounced by the White House less than an hour after local judges unanimously tapped him to lead the US attorney's office for the Western District of Washington, sued the Trump administration Tuesday, arguing his removal was illegal. "The President's actions violate the law, and they ignore the protections of the Constitution of the United States," Rogoff said, per the Seattle Times. "His removal of me, like his removal of other court-appointed US Attorneys across the country, is illegal and cannot stand."

Rogoff, a former federal prosecutor and King County judge, says that because he was installed by district court judges to fill a long-running vacancy, only those judges—or a Senate-confirmed replacement nominated by the president—can oust him, reports the Washington Post. Trump has not named a nominee. The Justice Department counters that presidents retain sweeping authority to choose and fire US attorneys, including those picked by judges. Rogoff's case is the first legal challenge to a recent pattern: judicially appointed US attorneys in several districts have been abruptly dismissed as the administration maneuvers around stalled Senate confirmations, often by using interim appointments and reshuffling top deputies. Rogoff wants a federal judge to void his firing and put him back on the job, turning his lawsuit into a potential test of the limits of presidential power over prosecutors.