Maurene Comey

Maurene Ryan Comey (born August 1988) is an American attorney who served as an assistant United States attorney in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) from 2016 to 2025. She rose to prominence as one of the lead attorneys in the prosecution of Sean Combs.

Early life and education Maurene Ryan Comey was born in August 1988. She is the daughter of James Comey and Patrice Failor and the eldest of six siblings. Her father is a former prosecutor who served as the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 2013 until his dismissal in 2017. She graduated from Harvard Law School in 2013.

Career Law clerk and legal associate After graduating from Harvard Law School, Comey worked as an associate for Debevoise & Plimpton. She was a law clerk to judge Loretta Preska. began serving as a prosecutor the following year, and became an assistant United States attorney by May 2016. In July 2019, she began handling the criminal case filed against the financier Jeffrey Epstein. By December 2021, Comey had become the chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Unit. of the gynecologist Robert Hadden, and of Sean Combs, leading the latter.

Federal dismissal In May 2025, Laura Loomer publicly called for the dismissal of Comey and her husband Lucas Issacharoff, citing their proximity to James Comey.

On July 16, 2025, the United States Department of Justice dismissed Comey as a senior trial counsel. According to The New York Times, a letter informing her of her termination and signed by Francey Hakes, the director of the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, cited Article Two of the United States Constitution. CNN later reported that an official described her connection to her father, James Comey, as untenable; according to ABC News, president Donald Trump was reportedly furious that a relative of the elder Comey worked in his administration.

Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler In February 2026, Comey joined the law firm of Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler, where she works in white-collar criminal defense and civil litigation as a partner.

Lawsuit against the Department of Justice On September 15, 2025, Maurene Comey filed a federal civil action challenging her abrupt termination from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Comey, a longtime federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, alleges that she was fired without cause, without notice, and in retaliation for her familial connection to one of Donald Trump’s most prominent critics.

Comey’s complaint asserts violations of the Civil Service Reform Act, the First Amendment, the Fifth Amendment and separation-of-powers principles. Legal analysts and news organizations have described the suit as a major test of executive power over the career federal workforce.

Background According to her lawsuit, Comey was asked on July 15, 2025, to take the lead on a new "major public corruption case." The next day, shortly before 5 p.m., she received an email from DOJ headquarters stating she had been removed "pursuant to Article II of the Constitution," without identifying any misconduct or performance issue. U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton told Comey, "All I can say is it came from Washington. I can’t tell you anything else," according to the complaint and subsequent reporting.

Lawsuit Comey filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeking reinstatement, back pay, and declaratory relief. Her complaint raises four central claims:

On November 13, 2025, the Northern District of New York, led by Trump ally John Sarcone III, filed a notice appearing on behalf of the government and indicated it planned to seek transfer of the case out of the Southern District.

Broader context

Maurene Comey’s lawsuit cites, among other factors, the hostile relationship between Trump and her father, and argues that no legitimate, performance-based reason existed for her dismissal.

Scholars have identified the case as a significant test of civil-service protections established since the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. Analysts note that the lawsuit could determine whether presidents may remove career federal employees for any reason, or whether statutory merit-system protections meaningfully constrain executive authority.

In popular culture The protagonist in James Comey's Central Park West (2023), Nora Carleton, includes aspects of Maurene Comey, including her profession, her height, and her approximate age.