A former Justice Department pardon attorney has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination, claiming she was fired in March 2025 after refusing to recommend the restoration of actor Mel Gibson's gun rights. The attorney, Liz Oyer, contends her dismissal was an illegal punishment for declining to grant a "political favor" to an individual connected to former President Donald Trump.
According to the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington, Oyer objected to a request from the staff of then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to add Gibson to a list of individuals whose gun rights the Justice Department would recommend for reinstatement. Oyer stated her refusal was based on public safety concerns, citing Gibson's prior domestic violence conviction, which had led to the loss of his gun privileges.
The lawsuit describes Oyer being removed from a meeting hours after she drafted a memo outlining her concerns. Justice Department security officers then presented her with a termination letter, instructed her to pack her belongings, and escorted her from the building.
Todd Blanche, who now holds the position of Attorney General, has denied Oyer's account of the reasons for her termination. During his Senate confirmation hearing last month, Blanche stated he was unaware of any involvement regarding Mel Gibson or the specific letter in question when Oyer was fired.
Oyer's lawsuit is one of several challenges filed by Justice Department staffers against terminations they deem unlawful under the Trump administration. She stated that her case had been in "prolonged limbo" with the Merit Systems Protection Board, which handles personnel claims, before she filed her suit.
In a statement, Oyer said her legal action aims to protect the ability of all civil servants to "uphold the law without fear or favor." She argued that allowing career officials to be fired for refusing to bend rules for political allies sends a message that "loyalty to a politician matters more than loyalty to the Constitution."
The lawsuit further alleges that Oyer's firing violated civil service protections for career employees and her First Amendment free speech rights, asserting that her removal was partly based on her perceived political affiliation. The suit claims that Oyer was "summarily terminated" when she declined to disregard her duties to perform a favor for politically appointed superiors and the former president.
During his confirmation hearing, Blanche offered a different explanation for Oyer's termination, stating she was fired "for a number of reasons." He cited decisions made by Oyer as pardon attorney in the weeks leading up to the end of President Biden's term, which he described as inconsistent with Trump's authority, including recommending commutations for all individuals on death row. This action, Blanche noted, was something even President Biden did not do.
Prior to leaving office, President Biden announced the commutation of sentences for 37 of the 40 individuals on federal death row, reducing their sentences to life imprisonment. The death sentences for Dylann Roof, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, and Robert Bowers were left in place.
Oyer had previously testified in opposition to Blanche's nomination, facing questions from Republican senators regarding her recommendations. She stated at the time that Blanche's comments about her being fired for recommendations on sentence commutations were the first she had heard of that explanation. Oyer also asserted that the assertion that her firing was unrelated to Mel Gibson "materialized out of thin air and has never been stated before."