Judge orders DOJ to reinstate former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey, daughter of ex-FBI director

NBC News · The Independent, The Independent and PBS NewsHour report that a federal judge has found the Trump administration unlawfully fired Maurene Comey, a longtime federal prosecutor in New York and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman ruled Monday that her July 2025 dismissal broke constitutional and statutory protections, and he ordered her reinstated retroactively with back pay through Dec. 20.

Furman turned aside the government's position that prosecutors serve at the president's pleasure, saying it ignored nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent. The Independent and PBS NewsHour say he held off on her First Amendment claim and leaned toward dismissing it, since she now works in private practice. NBC News · The Independent adds that the Justice Department said it disagrees and will appeal, and that it earlier attributed the firing to then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Independent and PBS NewsHour say the department did not immediately comment.

NBC News · The Independent also notes that the administration is still pursuing its seashell-photo case against James Comey, delayed until at least early 2027 while a judge considers dismissal.

Summarized by PolitiKool from NBC News · The Independent, The Independent and PBS NewsHour’s reporting. Read the full story at NBC News · The Independent → Also at The Independent → Also at PBS NewsHour →