A federal judge has ruled that Maurene Comey, daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was unlawfully dismissed from her post as a federal prosecutor in New York last year.
Judge Jesse M. Furman delivered the ruling on Monday.
Comey had spent a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney before her removal in July 2025.
The judge found she was illegally fired despite working on some of the nation's highest-profile cases and consistently receiving “the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike.”
Following her dismissal, Comey brought a lawsuit against the Justice Department and others.
In her suit, she argued that her termination breached the constitutional separation of powers, the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment.
The judge noted her assertion that she was fired either because she is the daughter of James Comey, a longtime foe of President Donald Trump, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs.
The government contended that Comey could be dismissed because federal prosecutors exercise the president's “conclusive and preclusive” powers, but Furman rejected that argument.
“The Court concludes the Defendants are wrong,” the judge wrote.
He said the government's claim that Congress is barred from regulating the removal of federal prosecutors “flies in the face of nearly two centuries of Supreme Court precedent.”
Furman added: “Indeed, to accept Defendants’ argument would be to unsettle the very equilibrium established by this Nation’s constitutional system.”
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Read MoreFormer police chief says Met should have reported Thomas Markle to FBI
Thousands of observers to descend on polling places on Election Day
Plane intercepted near Mar-a-Lago by fighter jet using ‘headbutt maneuver’
