A federal judge ruled Monday that the Trump Justice Department unlawfully fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, from her position as an assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan.

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman, an Obama appointee, found that the July 2025 termination violated the Civil Service Reform Act because it lacked cause and proper procedures. The ruling rejected the administration's broad claim under Article II of the Constitution that the president holds unchecked authority to remove federal prosecutors.

"Defendants’ argument that Article II bars Congress from regulating the removal of AUSAs flies in the face of nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent," Furman wrote in the 55-page opinion.

Comey had worked for a decade in the Southern District of New York, handling high-profile cases including the prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell in the Jeffrey Epstein matter and aspects of the Sean "Diddy" Combs case. She received consistent high praise from supervisors, according to court records.

The firing came via a memo citing only Article II, with no explanation or performance-related grounds. The Justice Department later confirmed that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi directed the action, which Todd Blanche ratified.

Furman ordered retroactive reinstatement and back pay from the termination date through December 20, 2025, when Comey began a new role as a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler. The order also requires updating her personnel file to reflect a resignation rather than termination.

The Justice Department stated it disagrees with the decision, which it said obstructs President Trump’s constitutional authority, and intends to appeal. Comey’s attorneys called the ruling a victory for civil servants and the rule of law.

The case highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration’s push for greater executive control over personnel and statutory protections for federal employees. James Comey has faced multiple indictments since September 2025 amid his long-running conflicts with President Trump.

Furman dismissed the administration’s efficiency-based arguments as bordering on frivolous and noted that the Supreme Court’s recent precedents on principal officers do not extend to inferior officers like assistant U.S. attorneys.