Judge reinstates Maurene Comey, rules DOJ firing was unlawful
What's next: The Justice Department plans to appeal, while Comey has until Nov. 9 to press a separate First Amendment claim.
A federal judge in Manhattan ruled Monday that the Justice Department unlawfully fired federal prosecutor Maurene Comey in 2025 and ordered her reinstated with back pay. U.S. District Judge Jesse Furman rejected the department's argument that the attorney general could remove an assistant U.S. attorney at will, and also rejected its bid to justify the dismissal after the fact. Comey, an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York, had worked on cases involving Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Sean "Diddy" Combs. The department said it disagrees with the ruling and will appeal. Furman did not decide Comey's separate claim that her firing violated the First Amendment.