US court rules daughter of Trump critic James Comey was illegally fired
A US judge has ruled that former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey was illegally fired by the Trump administration.
Maurene Comey had argued that she was fired because her father, former FBI chief James Comey, was a target of Trump's ire. US District Judge Jesse Furman ruled on Monday that the Trump administration had overstepped the boundaries of executive authority when firing so-called 'inferior officers' without cause.
He rejected the administration's position that the president had the power to undertake such firings regardless of protections implemented by Congress. 'To accept defendants' argument would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this nation's constitutional system,' Furman wrote.
The judge also dismissed the idea that federal prosecutors like Comey are an extension of the president's 'conclusive and preclusive' powers. 'Defendants invented a new and expansive theory of executive power,' Furman wrote of the Trump administration.
Legal Victory
In Monday's decision, Furman granted Comey's request for back pay from the date of her firing on July 16, 2025, through December. He also said she is entitled to 'retroactive reinstatement' for that time period.
Maurene Comey had served as an assistant US attorney for the Department of Justice since 2015, based in Manhattan. She had brought cases against such high-profile figures as convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his associate Ghislaine Maxwell and music mogul Sean 'Diddy' Combs.
They have also utilised that theory to remove other Executive Branch employees who have long held protections from removal.
Political Motivation
Comey's legal team had argued that her position was terminated because of Trump's antipathy towards her father. In her lawsuit, Comey alleged that her firing had violated federal laws prohibiting the termination of civil servants for political reasons.
James Comey was fired when the FBI was investigating potential links between Trump's 2016 presidential campaign and Russia. That investigation was a frequent subject of Trump's anger, and he has since become one of the Republican leader's most visible critics.
Administration Response
The Department of Justice, under Trump, has countered that the president has wide latitude to fire federal employees without cause. In response to Monday's ruling, the administration has said it 'disagrees with this decision and will appeal in due course'.
Since returning to office for a second term, Trump has sought to reduce the size of the federal government and remove prosecutors and investigators involved in cases he disagrees with. He has also pushed the Justice Department to prosecute several of his critics, including James Comey.
In a social media post on September 20, 2025, Trump called on then-Attorney General Pam Bondi to pursue charges against James Comey and several others. Shortly after that post, the Department of Justice charged Comey with lying to Congress, though a judge dismissed the case in November.
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