Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey sued the Trump administration Monday in Manhattan federal court, seeking to be reinstated after her sudden July dismissal and alleging the termination was politically motivated and unconstitutional.
The lawsuit contends Comey was fired without explanation in an email attachment that cited "Article II of the United States Constitution and the laws of the United States," and says the decision was driven either by her relationship to her father, former FBI director James Comey, by perceptions about her political beliefs, or both. "Defendants have not provided any explanation whatsoever for terminating Ms. Comey. In truth, there is no legitimate explanation," the complaint says.
Comey, who joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) in 2015 and led the office's violent and organized crime unit, said her termination came the day after supervisors asked her to lead a major public corruption matter and three months after she received an "Outstanding" performance review. The complaint notes she had worked on high-profile prosecutions, including matters involving Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and that she delivered closing arguments in the trial of music executive Sean "Diddy" Combs, a case that ended with Combs acquitted of the most serious charges.
Named as defendants are the U.S. Department of Justice, the Executive Office of the President, U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi, the Office of Personnel Management and the United States. The suit seeks reinstatement, a declaration that her firing was unlawful, and a ruling that it violated the Constitution's separation-of-powers principles and statutory civil-service protections.
The complaint alleges the dismissal violated provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act, which bars termination for discriminatory reasons such as political affiliation, and says Comey has suffered lost employment opportunities, financial harm and reputational damage. The filing also contends that inaccurate or false information from the defendants could jeopardize future background checks and job prospects.
Comey told colleagues in a widely circulated staff email after her dismissal that she received no reason for the firing, and urged them to "stay strong in the face of a 'tyrant.'" "If a career prosecutor can be fired without reason, fear may seep into the decisions of those who remain," she wrote. "Fear is the tool of a tyrant, wielded to suppress independent thought. Instead of fear, let this moment fuel the fire that already burns in the heart of this place. A fire of righteous indignation at abuses of power. Of commitment to seek justice for victims."
The complaint notes Comey's firing came amid a string of unexplained dismissals of prosecutors, prompting concerns that civil-service protections were being overlooked. It also references a several-week online campaign led by right-wing internet personality Laura Loomer urging Comey's removal.
The Justice Department declined to comment through a spokesperson.
The lawsuit also recounts the public tensions between President Trump and James Comey, whom Trump dismissed as FBI director in 2017 after the bureau began investigating possible ties between the president's 2016 campaign and Russian actors. The filing says James Comey has publicly criticized the president and that a May social-media post by the former FBI director — an image of seashells arranged to read "86 47" — was perceived by some as a threat against the prospect of a 47th president, a perception James Comey later disputed. The filing notes law enforcement attention that followed the post.
Maurene Comey’s complaint asks the court to restore her position and to issue a judgment that her termination was unlawful and politically motivated. The case adds to mounting litigation and scrutiny over the scope of presidential authority to remove career federal prosecutors and the protections intended to shield civil servants from partisan dismissals. Judicial review of those protections will determine whether Comey's termination stands and, more broadly, how far executive-branch discretion extends in dismissing career prosecutors.