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The US justice department illegally fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey, a federal judge has ruled.<\/b><\/p>\n
Comey, who lost her job as a federal prosecutor in New York in July 2025, sued the government, arguing she was unlawfully fired because of her father, a critic of US President Donald Trump, and because of her perceived political affiliations.<\/p>\n
Judge Jesse Furman ruled on Monday that the Trump administration must reinstate her and that she must be given back pay.<\/p>\n
A spokesperson for the justice department said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision and “will appeal in due course”.<\/p>\n
In his ruling, Judge Furman said Comey’s dismissal violated the US Constitution as well as her right to a fair legal process.<\/p>\n
He said the US attorney general can fire federal prosecutors but only “in a particular manner and only for certain reasons”.<\/p>\n
Furman noted that in Comey’s role, “she was assigned some of the country’s highest profile cases and consistently received the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike”.<\/p>\n
Comey has worked on cases against the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was convicted on prostitution-related charges<\/a> involving his two ex-girlfriends last year.<\/p>\n Furman ordered that Comey be given back pay from July until December 2025, when she accepted a new job.<\/p>\n In a statement, Comey’s lawyers said: “This hard-earned victory belongs to Ms Comey, to all civil servants, and to all fighting for the rule of law.”<\/p>\n Comey had previously said the only reason she was told about her firing was that it “came from Washington”.<\/p>\n A complaint filed by her lawyers in September 2025 stated that they believed Comey had been 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”.<\/p>\n The justice department said in court filings that the decision was made by former Attorney General Pam Bondi.<\/p>\n The Trump administration has brought charges against James Comey three times, including for allegedly lying to Congress, but that case was dismissed by a judge who said the prosecutor who brought the case was unlawfully appointed.<\/p>\n Earlier this year, the justice department charged Comey<\/a> with knowingly and wilfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm, on the president. <\/p>\n The case stems from a 2025 Instagram post shared by Comey that contained a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read “86 47”. <\/p>\n “Eighty-six” is a slang term for “get rid of”, and prosecutors allege it encourages violence against Trump. <\/p>\n On Monday, federal prosecutors charged Comey with leaking national defence information<\/a>, according to a court filing. He has denied any wrongdoing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n