Welcome to Lawyer Oyer

Hi everyone, I’m Liz Oyer—rhymes with lawyer, which is apt, because I’ve been a practicing lawyer for more than 20 years.

This March, I was abruptly fired from the Department of Justice, after I refused to use my position to do a favor for a friend of the President. In April, I testified about my experience before Members of Congress, which landed me in even more hot water with the political leadership of the Department. I’ll be sharing more of this story, as it unfolds, on this platform.

My legal career has followed a unique path that has given me a broad perspective on our justice system—including what works, what doesn’t, and how it all fits together. I started out as an associate at a large law firm, where I practiced civil and criminal litigation for seven years. In 2012, shortly after I made partner, I left BigLaw behind in favor of public service. I spent the next 10 years working as a Federal Public Defender. In that role, I represented all kinds of clients in all types of federal criminal proceedings.

In April 2022, I became the Pardon Attorney, a career (i.e., nonpolitical) position in the Department of Justice. The Pardon Attorney is responsible for reviewing applications for executive clemency and making recommendations to the President. I held that position for nearly three years, before Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche fired me in March 2025.

I joined the Department of Justice with a deep and personal understanding of the power that prosecutors wield and the vital role that defense attorneys play in guarding against the misuse of that power. Our legal system only works when we have strong institutional safeguards in place, including skilled advocates on both sides.

Even in the best of times, injustices occur. I have seen them up close, and a few that I was unable to prevent haunt me to this day. I took on the role of Pardon Attorney with tremendous reverence for the power of clemency. When used responsibly, clemency has the potential to correct injustices with literally the stroke of a pen. That’s something I could only dream of as a public defender. Serving as Pardon Attorney gave me a platform to advocate for second chances through clemency those who had truly earned them through their character and conduct.

In many ways, this was the opportunity of a lifetime for a former public defender. It also brought a great deal of disappointment. I’ll share more about both sides of the coin—and all the complexities of executive clemency—on this platform. For now, I’ll just highlight that the clemency power is being used in unprecedented and alarming ways that call for a serious discussion of whether this presidential power should continue to exist unfettered.

Our legal institutions, clemency included, have been challenged before and have withstood the tests of time. But this moment feels different. What worries me most is that our political leaders appear to be systematically dismantling the institutional safeguards that keep the powers of government in check and that keep corruption at bay.

This moment calls for us all to closely scrutinize the actions of our government, and yet this is an almost impossible task in an environment where it is increasingly challenging to keep up with the daily news cycle. I don’t want to amplify the noise. So I’ll be using this platform only to discuss issues where I think I can add a unique perspective, drawing on my own personal experience. I’ll speak up when I think my voice can enhance understanding of how legal process is being used to achieve political objectives. I’ll be in the weeds of pardons and in the business of the leadership of the Department of Justice. I’ll also be sharing my own journey as a fired civil servant and whistleblower.

Now is the time to be brave and try new things. For me, that means speaking out and speaking up in ways I haven’t before (see, for example, my new TikTok account). I invite you to follow along and join the conversation.