Trump fires court-appointed U.S. attorney after 54 minutes

A rare constitutional clash erupted in Washington state on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, after President Donald Trump removed a newly appointed U.S. attorney less than an hour after he was sworn into office. Federal judges for the Western District of Washington had unanimously appointed veteran attorney and former judge Roger Rogoff to the position that morning, only for the White House to dismiss him 54 minutes later, setting the stage for a potential legal battle over presidential authority.

The judges acted under a federal statute that allows district courts to appoint a U.S. attorney when a vacancy persists beyond a 120-day interim period and the president has not submitted a nominee for Senate confirmation. The office has been without a Senate-confirmed U.S. attorney since June 2023. Rogoff, a former federal prosecutor, King County Superior Court judge, and director of Washington’s Office of Independent Investigations, was sworn in by Chief Judge David Estudillo at approximately 7:40 a.m. Pacific Time.

By 8:34 a.m., Rogoff received written notification of his removal while waiting in a courthouse lobby. He said the dismissal was not a surprise, as attempts to communicate with...