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.

In a statement, Comey’s lawyers said: “This hard-earned victory belongs to Ms Comey, to all civil servants, and to all fighting for the rule of law.”

Comey had previously said the only reason she was told about her firing was that it “came from Washington”.

A complaint filed by her lawyers in September 2025 stated that they believed Comey had been fired “solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both”.

The justice department said in court filings that the decision was made by former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

The Trump administration has brought charges against James Comey three times, including for allegedly lying to Congress, but that case was dismissed by a judge who said the prosecutor who brought the case was unlawfully appointed.

Earlier this year, the justice department charged Comey with knowingly and wilfully making a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm, on the president.

The case stems from a 2025 Instagram post shared by Comey that contained a photo of seashells on a beach arranged to read “86 47”.

“Eighty-six” is a slang term for “get rid of”, and prosecutors allege it encourages violence against Trump.

On Monday, federal prosecutors charged Comey with leaking national defence information, according to a court filing. He has denied any wrongdoing.