USDOJ News & Analysis

Judge Rules DOJ Fired Epstein Prosecutor Maurene Comey Unlawfully

A federal judge ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) unlawfully fired Maurene Comey, a New York federal prosecutor, in July 2025. The judge ordered that Comey be retroactively reinstated to her position as assistant United States attorney in the Southern District of New York and receive back pay. Maurene Comey had worked on prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The ruling, made by Judge Jesse Furman in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, rejected the DOJ's arguments that then-Attorney General Pam Bondi had the authority to remove Comey without cause and that a subsequent Attorney General could ratify the firing. The judge stated the DOJ's claim would overturn nearly two decades of Supreme Court precedent and emphasized his obligation to follow existing precedent unless overturned by the Supreme Court. This ruling affects the DOJ's ability to remove federal prosecutors without cause and sets a precedent reinforcing employment protections under the Civil Service Reform Act. It also has implications for the politicization of federal prosecutions. Maurene Comey's reinstatement and back pay order mark a significant court check on executive power within the DOJ.