Judge Rules Justice Department Illegally Fired Maurene Comey

A federal judge has ruled that the US Justice Department illegally fired Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. In a ruling issued on October 26, 2026, Judge Jesse Furman ordered that the government reinstate her, meaning return her to her job, according to BBC News.

Comey lost her post as a federal prosecutor in New York in July 2025. She had served as an assistant US attorney for a decade, and she had worked on cases against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Furman also ordered back pay, the wages owed for time a worker was kept out of a job. It covers the period from July 2025 until December 2025, when Comey accepted a new job. Furman said her dismissal violated the US Constitution and her right to fair legal process.

Comey sued the government, arguing she was fired because of her father and because of her perceived political affiliations and beliefs. A complaint filed by her lawyers in September 2025 said they believed she was fired solely or substantially for one or both of those reasons. The suit was docketed as case number 1:25-cv-07625-JMF in federal court in Manhattan.

Justice Department court filings said the decision to fire her was made by former Attorney General Pam Bondi. The case had already produced several rulings before this one. In December 2025, Furman declined to let Comey's lawyers immediately gather evidence about who ordered the firing. In April 2026, a federal judge ruled that her wrongful termination claims belonged in court rather than in an administrative process inside the government.

A Justice Department spokesperson said the department disagreed with the ruling and will appeal in due course. An appeal would send the case to a higher court to review Furman's decision.