Judge Furman Compels DOJ to Pay $157,000 to Prosecutor Maurene Comey

A federal judge in Manhattan ordered the Department of Justice to pay $157,000 in back wages to Maurene Comey on Monday. Judge Jesse Furman determined that the department's decision to fire the assistant U.S. Attorney was unlawful. The ruling grants her retroactive reinstatement as a prosecutor in the Southern District of New York from her termination date of July 16, 2025, through December 20, 2025. Furman inferred she accepted another position on the latter date.

The court rejected the government's claim that the attorney general could dismiss Comey without cause. The judge found that the department ignored specific requirements of the Civil Service Reform Act. Comey was not given advance written notice, a reasonable time to respond, or a written decision with specific reasons for her removal. The DOJ conceded in the ruling that these procedural protections were not afforded to the prosecutor.

Furman noted that Comey's supervisors had consistently praised her work before her termination. The judge quoted internal descriptions calling her a "brilliant lawyer" and noting her "judgment, work product, and courtroom advocacy" were among the finest in the country. The department admitted her firing was not based on performance. Furman described the DOJ's statutory argument for the removal as bordering on frivolous.

The lawsuit argued that the termination stemmed from President Donald Trump's personal animosity toward Comey's father, former FBI Director James Comey. Trump fired James Comey in 2017. Maurene Comey was involved in high-profile prosecutions against Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and Sean Combs. James Comey is currently under federal indictment, which he denies, and his attorneys are seeking to have the case dismissed.

The DOJ said it would appeal the decision after the judge issues a final judgment. The White House referred to a post on X stating the department disagreed with the ruling and viewed it as an obstruction of presidential authority. Comey's lawyers called the outcome a victory for the rule of law. Furman reserved judgment on Comey's First Amendment claim and gave her until November 9 to file arguments on why that claim should not be dismissed as moot.

Comey wrote to colleagues at the U.S. Attorney's Office after her initial firing. She warned that if a career prosecutor could be dismissed without reason, fear might seep into the decisions of those who remained. The note urged colleagues to let the moment fuel a fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power and a commitment to seek justice for victims.