Judge Rules Maurene Comey Was Illegally Fired From DOJ
A federal judge ordered the justice department to reinstate the former prosecutor and pay her back wages. The department says it will appeal.
A federal judge has ruled that the US justice department illegally fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey. Judge Jesse Furman said on Monday that the Trump administration must reinstate her and give her back pay.
In his ruling, Furman said her dismissal violated the US Constitution and her right to a fair legal process. The US attorney general can fire federal prosecutors, he wrote, but "only in a particular manner and only for certain reasons". He noted that in her job Comey "was assigned some of the country's highest profile cases and consistently received the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike".
The judge ordered back pay from July until December 2025, when she accepted a new job. A justice department spokesperson said it disagreed with the decision and "will appeal in due course".
Cases she worked on
Comey worked on cases against the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was convicted last year on prostitution-related charges involving his two ex-girlfriends.
Her lawyers called the ruling a "hard-earned victory" that "belongs to Ms Comey, to all civil servants, and to all fighting for the rule of law."
Why she says she was fired
Comey had said the only reason she was told about her firing was that it "came from Washington". Her lawyers filed a complaint in September 2025 stating they believed she was fired "solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both". In court filings, the justice department said the decision was made by former Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Her father has faced charges twice. The first case, for allegedly lying to Congress, was dismissed by a judge who said the prosecutor who brought it was unlawfully appointed. Earlier this year the justice department charged him again, with knowingly and wilfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm on, the president. He has denied any wrongdoing. That case stems from a 2025 Instagram post by James Comey showing a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read "86 47". "Eighty-six" is slang for "get rid of", and prosecutors allege the post encourages violence against Trump.
Source: BBC News