9 days ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top federal prosecutor in Seattle who was fired last week less than an hour after being sworn in sued over his termination Tuesday, teeing up a legal challenge to the Trump administration's efforts to control who occupies the powerful Justice Department posts.
Roger Rogoff is the latest in a series of judicially appointed U.S. attorneys to be ousted by the Trump administration from their posts but is believed to be the first of that group to sue over the removal. His action creates a first-of-its-kind court case that will test the Justice Department's authority to fire federal prosecutors who are appointed by judges,
Rogoff was unanimously appointed to the job of U.S. attorney for western Washington by the federal judges in the district. But shortly after he was sworn in last Wednesday, he received an email from the Trump administration informing him that President Donald Trump had ordered his termination.
The lawsuit contends that the abrupt firing was unconstitutional and disregarded the authority of the judges of the district to name Rogoff to the job until the vacancy could be filled through a Senate-confirmed nominee. The complaint seeks a court order declaring that the firing "was unlawful and is void" and that Rogoff at least temporarily remains U.S. attorney.
"The President's actions violate the law, and they ignore the protections of the Constitution of the United States," Rogoff said in a statement issued through the law firm representing him. "His removal of me, like his removal of other court-appointed U.S. attorneys across the country, is illegal and cannot stand."
#judges
Roger Rogoff is the latest in a series of judicially appointed U.S. attorneys to be ousted by the Trump administration from their posts but is believed to be the first of that group to sue over the removal. His action creates a first-of-its-kind court case that will test the Justice Department's authority to fire federal prosecutors who are appointed by judges,
Rogoff was unanimously appointed to the job of U.S. attorney for western Washington by the federal judges in the district. But shortly after he was sworn in last Wednesday, he received an email from the Trump administration informing him that President Donald Trump had ordered his termination.
The lawsuit contends that the abrupt firing was unconstitutional and disregarded the authority of the judges of the district to name Rogoff to the job until the vacancy could be filled through a Senate-confirmed nominee. The complaint seeks a court order declaring that the firing "was unlawful and is void" and that Rogoff at least temporarily remains U.S. attorney.
"The President's actions violate the law, and they ignore the protections of the Constitution of the United States," Rogoff said in a statement issued through the law firm representing him. "His removal of me, like his removal of other court-appointed U.S. attorneys across the country, is illegal and cannot stand."
#judges
17 days ago
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — High-ranking Senate Democrat Ron Wyden has alleged that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke the law with recent phone calls urging third-party candidates to drop out of two Iowa congressional races.
In a complaint to the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel filed Monday, Wyden requested an investigation into whether the June calls violated the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that restricts certain political activities by federal employees. The Oregon Democrat said Kennedy acted inappropriately by interfering with elections that Trump's Republican administration wants GOP candidates to win.
"Kennedy has spent sixteen months using his official position to undermine the health and well-being of his fellow Americans, and now he is using his official position to undermine the integrity of democratic elections too," reads a statement from Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which plays a role in overseeing the nation's health agencies.
The accusation comes as Trump has dispatched Kennedy to swing districts around the country as a key surrogate for the administration, promoting its widely popular efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise. It takes issue with another task Kennedy reportedly did on behalf of the administration: calling Libertarian candidates to push them to drop out of two races where they could be spoilers for GOP candidates. At stake is control of Congress in a competitive midterm election year, where any win could be decisive in shaping the next two years of federal policy.
Spokespeople for Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a complaint to the U.S. Office of the Special Counsel filed Monday, Wyden requested an investigation into whether the June calls violated the Hatch Act, a 1939 law that restricts certain political activities by federal employees. The Oregon Democrat said Kennedy acted inappropriately by interfering with elections that Trump's Republican administration wants GOP candidates to win.
"Kennedy has spent sixteen months using his official position to undermine the health and well-being of his fellow Americans, and now he is using his official position to undermine the integrity of democratic elections too," reads a statement from Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, which plays a role in overseeing the nation's health agencies.
The accusation comes as Trump has dispatched Kennedy to swing districts around the country as a key surrogate for the administration, promoting its widely popular efforts to encourage healthy eating and exercise. It takes issue with another task Kennedy reportedly did on behalf of the administration: calling Libertarian candidates to push them to drop out of two races where they could be spoilers for GOP candidates. At stake is control of Congress in a competitive midterm election year, where any win could be decisive in shaping the next two years of federal policy.
Spokespeople for Kennedy and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
21 days ago
Donald Trump Jr. said Thursday that unsealed evidence from the preliminary hearing in Charlie Kirk's murder case puts to rest "conspiracy theories" surrounding his death.
Trump Jr., a longtime friend of Kirk, was in the courtroom in Provo, Utah, this week, hearing arguments and viewing unsealed evidence against Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson.
"Based on everything that I saw in that courtroom, it's very clear to me that Tyler Robinson did this," he said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
Donald Trump Jr Says Evidence In Tyler Robinson Preliminary Hearing 'More Cut And Dry' Than He Thought
Robinson, 23, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk, 31, at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
Trump Jr., a longtime friend of Kirk, was in the courtroom in Provo, Utah, this week, hearing arguments and viewing unsealed evidence against Kirk's accused killer, Tyler Robinson.
"Based on everything that I saw in that courtroom, it's very clear to me that Tyler Robinson did this," he said on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
Donald Trump Jr Says Evidence In Tyler Robinson Preliminary Hearing 'More Cut And Dry' Than He Thought
Robinson, 23, is accused of fatally shooting Kirk, 31, at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10, 2025, and could face the death penalty if convicted.
