Judge ruled Trump's DOJ illegally fired prosecutor Maurene Comey

U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled on Monday that the Justice Department’s firing of Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, was unlawful, and he ordered her reinstated with back pay. The ruling came in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Furman decided the case before trial, on a motion for judgment on the pleadings, according to Bloomberg. He found that the July 2025 firing violated the Civil Service Reform Act and the Constitution's separation of powers, according to CNN.

Furman did not accept the Justice Department's position that Pam Bondi, then the attorney general, held unchecked power to dismiss a federal prosecutor without giving any reason. He also rejected the argument that current Attorney General Todd Blanche could ratify the firing after the fact, according to CNBC.

"This Court, however, is bound to follow the Supreme Court's precedents unless and until the Supreme Court overturns them," Furman wrote, according to CNBC. The Justice Department conceded that neither misconduct nor her job performance was the reason for Maurene Comey's dismissal, according to CNN.

"The Department disagrees with this decision and will appeal in due course," the Justice Department said in a statement, according to CNBC. That appeal would not come until the judge enters a final judgment ending the litigation.

Furman did not rule on Maurene Comey's claim that the firing violated her First Amendment rights. He set a Nov. 9 deadline for her to argue against dismissal of that claim, according to CNBC.

"This hard-earned victory belongs to Ms. Comey, to all civil servants, and to all fighting for the rule of law," her lawyers said in a statement, according to CNBC.

Maurene Comey spent years as a seasoned prosecutor with the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan. She played a leading part in prosecuting Jeffrey Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean "Diddy" Combs, according to Bloomberg. She sued in September 2025, alleging that the firing was driven by her family tie to her father, former FBI Director James Comey, or by political views attributed to her, according to Bloomberg.

President Donald Trump fired James Comey as FBI director during his first term. James Comey is now being prosecuted on a charge of threatening Trump, according to Reuters. He has pleaded not guilty.

Reuters described the case as a test of the Trump administration's ability to quickly dismiss line prosecutors who hold no political appointment.