A federal judge delivered a legal setback to the Trump administration Monday, ruling that the Justice Department unlawfully fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, from her position as a federal prosecutor in Manhattan last year.
U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman determined that Comey’s dismissal violated federal civil service protections, rejecting the administration’s argument that President Donald Trump’s constitutional authority allowed prosecutors to be removed without following established employment procedures.
The 55-page decision orders Comey to be retroactively reinstated and compensated for the period between her July 2025 termination and December 20, 2025, when she accepted another position. The ruling does not require her to return to the Justice Department, where she spent nearly a decade handling some of the country’s most prominent criminal cases.
Comey, who joined the Southern District of New York in 2015, previously worked on prosecutions involving Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs and former Democratic Senator Robert Menendez. She was abruptly dismissed on July 16, 2025, shortly after participating in Combs’ closely watched federal trial.
According to court documents, Comey received an email from Justice Department officials in Washington informing her that her employment was terminated immediately. The administration cited Article II of the Constitution, which establishes presidential executive authority, but provided no additional explanation.
BREAKING: Obama Judge Jesse Furman ORDERS Maurene Comey, James Comey’s daughter, retroactively REINSTATED as a federal prosecutor, ruling Trump’s DOJ UNLAWFULLY fired her
Despite the fact Maurene called Trump a “TYRANT”
HELL NO! APPEAL THIS BS RULING!
Judge Furman claims her July 2025 firing “indisputably violated” civil service law, and he’s awarding her BACK PAY, per CNBC and ABC
Of course it’s an Obama judge
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 26, 2026
Comey subsequently filed a lawsuit alleging that her dismissal was politically motivated because of her relationship with her father, whom Trump fired as FBI director in 2017. She also argued that the government violated constitutional protections and federal employment laws by removing her without notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.
The Justice Department disputed those claims, maintaining that federal prosecutors exercise significant executive authority and therefore can be removed by the president or attorney general without cause.
Furman rejected that interpretation, concluding that Congress retains the authority to establish employment protections for career prosecutors under the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.
“Indeed, to accept Defendants’ argument would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this Nation’s constitutional system,” Furman wrote.
The judge also pointed to Comey’s employment record, which included outstanding performance evaluations between 2019 and 2024. The Justice Department acknowledged those favorable reviews during the litigation.
However, the ruling did not establish that Trump personally ordered Comey’s dismissal or that retaliation against her father motivated the decision. Instead, Furman concluded that the administration failed to comply with federal law governing the removal of protected employees.
The dispute carries additional political significance because James Comey has remained one of Trump’s most recognizable adversaries since the president dismissed him during his first administration.
The former FBI director has faced multiple criminal proceedings during Trump’s second term. An earlier prosecution involving allegations that he lied to Congress was dismissed over the appointment of the prosecutor who brought the charges. He has pleaded not guilty in a separate case involving allegations that he threatened Trump.
Maurene Comey, meanwhile, joined the private law firm Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler as a partner earlier this year.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
