Key facts
- Former pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer is suing the Justice Department and Attorney General Todd Blanche.
- Oyer alleges she was unlawfully fired after refusing to recommend restoring actor Mel Gibson's gun rights.
- The lawsuit claims the request was a political favor due to Gibson's relationship with President Trump.
- Mel Gibson had lost his gun rights following a 2011 domestic violence misdemeanor conviction.
- Oyer seeks reinstatement, back pay, and benefits.
A former Justice Department pardon attorney, Liz Oyer, has filed a lawsuit against the department and Attorney General Todd Blanche, alleging her termination was illegal and politically motivated. Oyer claims she was fired in March 2025 after refusing to recommend the restoration of actor Mel Gibson's gun rights, citing public safety concerns due to his prior domestic violence conviction. The lawsuit asserts that a request to restore Gibson's rights was a political favor linked to his relationship with President Donald Trump. Oyer alleges that hours after she drafted a memo expressing her concerns, she was terminated and escorted from the building. Blanche has denied these claims, stating at his Senate confirmation hearing that he was unaware of the Mel Gibson matter when Oyer was fired and that her termination was for other reasons, including her recommendations on sentence commutations. Oyer is seeking a court order to declare her firing unlawful and to be reinstated to federal service, arguing that career officials should be able to uphold the law without fear of political retribution.