Judge orders prosecutor Maurene Comey reinstated and rules her firing by the Trump administration unlawful

New York — A federal judge in Manhattan ruled on Monday that President Donald Trump's administration unlawfully fired former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, and ordered her retroactive reinstatement with back pay.

In a 55-page opinion, District Judge Jesse Furman concluded that the Justice Department violated the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 by dismissing Comey in July 2025 without stating a cause, and rejected the government's argument that Article II of the Constitution allows the president to fire assistant U.S. attorneys without complying with those protections.

“To accept defendants' argument would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this nation's constitutional system,” the judge wrote, according to USA TODAY.

Comey, a Harvard Law School graduate and longtime prosecutor in Manhattan's federal office, worked on cases against Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs. In her lawsuit, filed last month, she alleged she was fired because of her father's tensions with Trump, in violation of laws barring the dismissal of civil servants for political reasons and guaranteeing federal employees due process.

The ruling orders her retroactive reinstatement as a prosecutor through December 2025, allowing her to receive back pay and qualify for retirement benefits. According to Reuters, Comey is not seeking to return to her former post: in February she joined a New York law firm.

The Justice Department told Reuters it disagrees with the decision and will appeal. Comey's First Amendment claim remains pending, so the judge reserved judgment on that point until receiving additional briefs from both parties.

Photo: Suara Garut

Source: USA TODAY