Fired prosecutor sues Justice Department over Trump comments dismissal

Will Rosenzweig sued the Justice Department, arguing that his dismissal for criticizing Donald Trump as a private citizen violated his First Amendment rights. The case turns a personnel fight into a test of how far political loyalty can reach inside federal law enforcement.

Rosenzweig, a federal prosecutor in Seattle, was removed after comments he had written about Trump drew attention on social media through a right-wing influencer’s post. The firing came as a fraud case was heading to trial, a disruption that sent his office into a tailspin and sharpened the dispute over whether a prosecutor can lose his job over off-duty political speech.

The lawsuit lands in the middle of a broader wave of challenges by former prosecutors and federal agents contesting personnel actions inside law enforcement during Trump’s term. In Seattle, the controversy has already centered on Roger Rogoff, the judges’ pick for the city’s federal prosecutor, who was sworn in after a panel of judges unanimously selected him and was fired by email less than an hour later.

That sequence has made the Seattle office a flashpoint in the wider fight over presidential removal power. Reuters and the Associated Press have framed the disputes as clashes over the rule of law and the president’s authority over the executive branch, with the Justice Department asserting control over prosecutors who do not fit the White House’s political line.

Rosenzweig’s claim adds another layer to that fight: whether government lawyers keep First Amendment protection for comments made outside their official duties. The answer could shape the limits of discipline for federal attorneys who speak publicly about presidents, campaigns, and politics when they are off the clock, and it could influence how far administrations can go in policing perceived disloyalty inside the Justice Department.