2025 Bodiker Lecture

The 2025 Bodiker Lecture welcomes Elizabeth G. (Liz) Oyer, who served as United States Pardon Attorney from April 2022 to March 2025. During her tenure, she oversaw more than 15,000 clemency cases, reformed the clemency application process to make it more accessible and transparent, and conducted outreach across the country, including visits to federal prisons.

Liz Oyer is an experienced attorney and justice advocate. From 2022 to 2025, Liz served asUnited States Pardon Attorney, the senior career official in the Department of Justice responsible for advising the President on the exercise of his constitutional clemency power. Liz’s tenure as Pardon Attorney was focused on making second chances through clemency accessible to all deserving Americans without consideration of status, resources, or politics. Liz and her team completely overhauled the clemency application process for the first time in decades to make it more user-friendly; conducted extensive community outreach and education, including visits to prisons around the country; and made recommendations to the President in over 15,000 pardon and commutation cases, prioritizing relief for those sentenced under outdated laws and policies. Liz’s service spanned two presidential administrations, before she was abruptly fired in March, as reported by the New York Times.

Prior to joining the Justice Department, Liz served for 10 years as a Federal Public Defender, representing clients facing all types of federal criminal charges. Liz was the first public defender appointed to serve as Pardon Attorney. Her experience standing beside clients in court shaped her perspective on the value of second chances and informed her understanding of the vital role clemency can play in mitigating excesses of the criminal justice system.

After her departure from the Justice Department, Liz created Lawyer Oyer LLC, an independent media company producing multimedia content to educate the public about threats to the rule of law, focusing on issues related to the courts, the criminal justice system, and presidential power. The Lawyer Oyer platform includes Substack, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, with over 350,000 followers and millions of video views. Liz is a regular contributing guest on MSNBC, CNN, podcasts, and other programs, and a frequently quoted expert in national news publications, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, ABC News, NBC News, Rolling Stone, and many others. Liz has published op-eds about her legal work in Rolling Stone magazine, the Washington Post, and BuzzFeed News.

Liz started her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Stanley Marcus of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. From there, Liz worked for the law firm Mayer Brown LLP, where she became a partner and practiced civil and criminal litigation before pivoting to public service. She graduated from Harvard Law School (2004) and Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service (2001). Liz is a longtime resident of Washington, D.C.

The David H. Bodiker Lecture on Criminal Justice honors the legacy of David Bodiker ’63 by promoting, improving, and advancing the highest level of academic and professional interest in protecting the constitutional rights of defendants in the criminal justice system. Each year, the lecture brings leading voices in law and public policy to Moritz College of Law to address pressing issues in criminal justice reform.

For accessibility requests or additional information, contact Jodi Allalen, alumni engagement coordinator, at allalen.3@osu.edu.

* Register by 10/15 to receive a lunch