Washington DC - A US judge ruled Tuesday that Maurene Comey, a former federal prosecutor who alleges her firing was politically motivated, can proceed with a lawsuit against President Donald Trump's administration.
Comey is the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, a prominent critic of Trump, and was summarily dismissed in July as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan.
She was fired a week after the Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into her father.
Judge Jesse Furman overruled an attempt by the Trump administration to block Comey from pursuing in federal court a lawsuit which claims her dismissal was "unlawful and unconstitutional."
Furman scheduled a pretrial hearing at a Manhattan courthouse for May 28.
In her lawsuit filed against the office of the president, the Justice Department and others, Comey said she had an "exemplary" record.
"In truth, there is no legitimate explanation," the lawsuit said. "Rather, Defendants fired Ms. Comey solely or substantially because her father is former FBI Director James B. Comey, or because of her perceived political affiliation and beliefs, or both."
Since taking office in January 2025, Trump has pursued his perceived enemies, purging government officials deemed to be disloyal, targeting law firms involved in past cases against him, and pulling federal funding from universities.
Maureen Comey's firing also came amid mounting pressure on Trump to release material from the probe into Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking. She was among the prosecutors who handled the case involving the wealthy financier, but it never went to trial because of his death.
She also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who was criminally charged in connection with his activities.
Comey's father, James, has had a contentious history with Trump dating back to his first term in the White House.
Trump fired him in 2017, as the then-FBI chief was leading an investigation into whether any members of the president's campaign had colluded with Russia to sway the 2016 election.