Judge Rules Maurene Comey’s Firing Unlawful

A federal judge ruled that the Justice Department unlawfully fired former Manhattan prosecutor Maurene Comey, finding that her dismissal violated federal civil-service protections and rejecting the department’s broad argument for presidential authority to remove assistant U.S. attorneys. Judge Jesse Furman ordered her retroactively reinstated through December 20, 2025, with back pay for that period. Furman concluded that the Civil Service Reform Act limited the attorney general’s authority to remove Comey and that the government had not followed the law’s requirements. The department acknowledged in court filings that her firing was not for cause and was not based on her performance. The judge found that she received neither advance notice nor an opportunity to respond. The ruling also rejected the Justice Department’s claim that Article II of the Constitution prevents Congress from regulating the removal of assistant U.S. attorneys. Furman said that position conflicted with longstanding Supreme Court precedent allowing Congress to place limits on removals of certain executive-branch officers. He also rejected the department’s arguments that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi’s...