// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Trump administration illegally fired James Comey's daughter, judge rules
Maurene Comey has worked on a number of high-profile legal cases
The US justice department illegally fired Maurene Comey, the daughter of former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) director James Comey, a federal judge has ruled.
Comey, who lost her job as a federal prosecutor in New York in July 2025, sued the government, arguing she was unlawfully fired because of her father, a critic of US President Donald Trump, and because of her perceived political affiliations.
Judge Jesse Furman ruled on Monday that the Trump administration must reinstate her and that she must be given back pay.
A spokesperson for the justice department said in a statement that it disagreed with the decision and "will appeal in due course".
In his ruling, Judge Furman said Comey's dismissal violated the US Constitution as well as her right to a fair legal process.
He said the US attorney general can fire federal prosecutors but only "in a particular manner and only for certain reasons".
Furman noted that in Comey's role, "she was assigned some of the country's highest profile cases and consistently received the highest accolades from supervisors and peers alike".
Comey has worked on cases against the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, and hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs, who was convicted on prostitution-related charges involving his two ex-girlfriends last year.
Furman ordered that Comey be given back pay from July until December 2025, when she accepted a new job.