A federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully terminated Maurene Comey, a former Justice Department prosecutor and daughter of ex-FBI Director James Comey, in a decision that challenges the administration’s broad authority to dismiss career federal employees. The ruling, issued Monday in New York by U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, addresses Comey’s July 2025 firing and its wider implications for constitutional limits on presidential power.

Maurene Comey, who served as an assistant U.S. attorney for ten years and was involved in several high-profile cases, was fired despite receiving consistently high evaluations from supervisors. She subsequently sued the Justice Department and related parties, arguing that her dismissal violated the constitutional separation of powers, the First Amendment, and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment. Comey contended her termination was either due to her relationship to her father—whom President Donald Trump has publicly disparaged—or because of her perceived political views.

Judge Furman rejected the government’s defense that the president’s removal power over prosecutors is “conclusive and preclusive” and beyond congressional regulation, citing longstanding Supreme Court precedent that allows such oversight. He criticized the administration’s position, stating it would disrupt the balance established by the U.S. constitutional system. The firing was found to be in violation of the separation of powers doctrine, the Administrative Procedure Act, and Comey’s due process rights. The court granted her retroactive reinstatement and back pay through December 20 to remedy the unlawful termination.

While Furman reserved judgment on Comey’s First Amendment claim pending additional arguments, he indicated a likelihood of dismissal, noting that she has since moved into private practice and is no longer seeking reinstatement.

The Justice Department expressed its disagreement with the ruling and announced plans to appeal. Comey’s legal team praised the ruling, emphasizing that it reaffirms the principle that the president is not above the law and protects civil servants from politically motivated dismissals.

The case emerges against a backdrop of ongoing disputes involving James Comey, who was fired by Trump as FBI director in 2017 amid investigations into ties between Russia and Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Since then, the former FBI chief has faced politically charged legal challenges, including a previously dismissed criminal case alleging false testimony to Congress, a pending indictment related to a social media post interpreted as threatening, and renewed attempts by the Justice Department to prosecute him for an alleged decade-old leak of classified information.

James Comey’s lawyers have dismissed the latest case as unfounded and barred by the statute of limitations. In response, the Justice Department filed a criminal information to extend the time limit for prosecution. In a video statement following the court filings, Comey described the renewed efforts as an “appalling abuse” of the Justice Department and reaffirmed his innocence, saying he remains unafraid of ongoing legal challenges.