A former Justice Department pardon attorney filed suit Thursday over her termination, alleging she was illegally punished for refusing to grant a "political favor" to an associate of President Donald Trump.
Liz Oyer says she was fired in March 2025 after declining a request from the staff of then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche to add actor Mel Gibson to a list of individuals for whom the Justice Department would recommend reinstatement of their gun rights.
Oyer objected to the request on public safety grounds, citing Gibson's prior domestic violence conviction that had resulted in the loss of his firearm privileges. In her lawsuit, she characterizes the firing as illegal retaliation for her refusal to recommend the restoration.
Blanche, who now holds the position of attorney general following his Senate confirmation last month, has disputed Oyer's account. At his confirmation hearing, Blanche stated: "I didn't even know of that. I had known nothing about Mel Gibson or that letter when I fired her. Nothing."
The lawsuit centers on whether Oyer's termination violated federal law protecting employees who refuse to carry out directives they believe are improper. Oyer's legal action seeks to challenge the circumstances surrounding her March 2025 dismissal from the Justice Department's pardon office.
The case involves questions about the process by which individuals with prior criminal convictions, particularly those involving firearms restrictions, may have those rights restored through federal recommendation.