Federal judge reinstates Allison Comey, orders $152,000 back pay

A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Department of Justice to reinstate James Comey’s daughter, Allison Comey, to her senior attorney position and to pay her back wages, rejecting the Trump administration’s claim that a recent Supreme Court immunity ruling protected the firing. The decision came from U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., who said the “stray language” in the Court’s 2020 immunity decision does not excuse unlawful employment actions.

The termination took place in early 2019, months after former FBI Director James Comey was dismissed by President Donald Trump. Allison Comey, a career civil servant with more than a decade at the DOJ, was removed after refusing to sign a loyalty pledge that the administration tied to ongoing investigations into the 2016 election. Her case was filed in 2020, arguing that the firing violated the civil service protections that shield career employees from political retaliation. The DOJ argued that the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump v. Vance, which said a sitting president does not enjoy absolute immunity from civil suits, somehow limited the court’s authority to review the termination.

Boasberg’s ruling found no merit in that argument. He wrote that the immunity decision addressed criminal and civil prosecution, not employment law. The judge ordered the DOJ to restore Comey’s position, pay her $152,000 in back wages, and cover legal fees. DOJ spokesperson Lisa McCarthy said the agency would review the order and consider an appeal, while James Comey issued a brief statement calling the ruling “a vindication of the rule of law and the protections that keep our civil service impartial.”

The case is likely to head to the appellate court, where it could set a precedent on the limits of presidential power over career employees. Legal analysts say the decision reinforces the wall between political appointees and the permanent workforce, a wall that has been tested repeatedly under the Trump administration. If the ruling stands, it could deter future attempts to purge the civil service for perceived disloyalty and reaffirm that executive actions remain