Judge rules Justice Department unlawfully fired prosecutor Maurene Comey

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Monday that the Justice Department broke the law when it fired Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman found that the July 2025 firing violated the separation of powers and the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, CBS News reported. He rejected the administration's argument that Article II of the Constitution gives the president unrestricted power to remove such employees, calling the government's position a "sweeping and unprecedented theory of executive authority."

What the ruling does

Furman ordered Comey retroactively reinstated and awarded back pay from her firing through Dec. 20, 2025, when she accepted another job, according to CBS News. Al Jazeera reported the judge found the administration exceeded its authority by removing protected "inferior officers" without cause.

A Justice Department spokesperson said the department disagrees with the decision and will appeal in due course.

Background

Comey had worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan since 2015 and handled cases involving Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean "Diddy" Combs, Al Jazeera reported. Her lawsuit argued that she was fired in retaliation for her father's conflict with President Trump.

James Comey, who led the FBI from 2013 until Trump fired him in 2017, faces a separate criminal case filed in April over a social media post that prosecutors called a threat against the president. He has called that case political persecution, according to Al Jazeera.