WASHINGTON, Oct 4 (Reuters) – A US appeals court on Sunday put on hold a judge’s order reinstating the Seattle area’s top federal prosecutor, who had been fired by President Donald Trump.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Trump administration’s request for an administrative stay while it considers the merits of the dispute. The order for now will keep Roger Rogoff from resuming his role as US attorney for the Western District of Washington.
The order, which was not signed by any judges on the court, notes that it is only intended to preserve the status quo while the Justice Department’s appeal proceeds.
Trump fired Rogoff in July, less than an hour after federal judges in the district named him US attorney. Rogoff sued over his ouster, becoming the first court-appointed US attorney to challenge his firing by the Trump administration.
Chief Judge Stanley Bastian of the federal court in Yakima, Washington, sided with Rogoff on Thursday, ordering him reinstated to the post.
Trump has fired several court-appointed federal prosecutors during his second term as part of a larger power struggle between the federal judiciary and his administration. A federal appointments law allows federal district courts to name a US attorney to fill a vacancy, but the Trump administration has claimed authority to fire court-appointed prosecutors.
(Reporting by Andrew Goudsward; Editing by Sergio Non and Nick Zieminski)
