Former DOJ pardon attorney sues over alleged illegal firing linked to Mel Gibson gun-rights case
Elizabeth Oyer, who served as the Justice Department’s pardon attorney, has filed a lawsuit claiming she was unlawfully dismissed after refusing to back the restoration of actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights.
Former pardon attorney Elizabeth Oyer has sued the U.S. Department of Justice and former deputy attorney general Todd Blanche, alleging she was illegally fired after refusing to recommend restoring actor Mel Gibson’s gun rights. According to the complaint, Oyer was asked in early 2025 to ignore her duties and facilitate a political favor for Gibson because of his relationship with President Trump, and to make it appear that one outlet's review supported the rights restoration.
Oyer declined, and she says she was dismissed shortly thereafter. The lawsuit, filed in the District of Columbia federal court, claims the termination breached her constitutional due-process, Civil Service Reform Act, and First Amendment rights, as well as core separation-of-powers principles. Oyer seeks a declaration that the firing was unlawful, reinstatement to federal service, payment of lost wages and benefits, and an order preventing further adverse personnel actions without legal protection. The Justice Department has not commented on the filing.
Why it matters
The case raises questions about political influence in DOJ personnel decisions and gun-rights policy.
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