WASHINGTON, D.C. — Elizabeth G. Oyer, the former Pardon Attorney who was abruptly dismissed by the Trump Administration in March 2025, filed a lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the U.S. Department of Justice. The lawsuit alleges that the DOJ has unlawfully withheld records related to her firing. Ms. Oyer seeks their immediate release under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and the Privacy Act.

Ms. Oyer was fired by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche hours after she refused a last-minute request to recommend restoring gun rights to actor Mel Gibson, despite his documented history of domestic abuse. After her dismissal, Oyer filed two FOIA and Privacy Act requests seeking communications regarding the Gibson matter and records related to her termination. The DOJ acknowledged receiving the requests but failed to provide key documents within the required deadlines.

“When a senior public servant may have been fired for refusing to yield to political pressure, the American people deserve answers, ” said Amb. Norm Eisen (ret.), executive chair of Democracy Defenders Fund. “This isn’t just about one firing, it’s about requiring the Department of Justice to live up to that name. DOJ must be as or more careful about adhering to the law as any other part of the government."

The lawsuit, brought by Oyer with attorneys Jeffrey S. Gutman and the Democracy Defenders Fund, asks the court to compel the DOJ to produce the improperly withheld records and to cease further delays.

Read the complaint here.