Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, alongside co-counsel Peters Brovner LLP, filed a federal class action lawsuit challenging what it describes as unconstitutional and politically motivated firings of career Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents.

The lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that multiple agents were removed from federal service without due process and based on perceived political affiliation or lack of political loyalty rather than job performance or misconduct.

The named plaintiffs — Jamie Garman, Blaire Toleman, and Michelle Ball — along with additional unnamed class members, are seeking reinstatement, a declaration that their terminations were unlawful, and other relief.

Jamie Garman, Blaire Toleman, and Michelle Ball said jointly: “Serving the American people as FBI agents was the highest honor of our lives. We took an oath to uphold the Constitution, followed the facts wherever they led, and never compromised our integrity. Our removal from federal service — without due process and based on a false perception of political bias — is a profound injustice that raises serious concerns about political interference in federal law enforcement. We bring this lawsuit to protect the rule of law and to allow our former colleagues to do their jobs without fear of retaliation. We remain proud of our service, stand by the work we did, and are committed to defending the integrity and independence of the institutions we were privileged to serve.”

According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are among a group of career FBI employees who were dismissed beginning in 2025 without prior notice of charges or an opportunity to respond, despite years of service marked by strong performance evaluations and commendations.

“Our clients are career FBI agents who devoted years of their lives to protecting the American people and upholding the rule of law. They were removed from federal service without an investigation, notice of charges, or an opportunity to be heard. Stripping away due process protections for career law enforcement agents sends a clear message: they will not be protected when their work challenges the powerful. It also sends a troubling signal to everyone in the criminal justice system — from officers to those accused of crimes — that the law can be applied arbitrarily,” said Dan Eisenberg, Of Counsel at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP. “This lawsuit seeks to reaffirm fundamental constitutional protections for FBI employees, ensuring they can perform their duties without fear or favor. We all benefit when law enforcement officers’ only loyalty is to facts and the truth.”

“Defendants’ actions strike at the very heart of our constitutional order. The FBI, like all law enforcement, must remain politically neutral and nonpartisan. Firing our clients and other FBI agents solely to fulfill a political revenge agenda is unacceptable,” said Mark G. Peters and Lesley Allison Brovner of Peters Brovner LLP.

Read the complaint here.