By Sophia Mao
Finally after 13 years of Britney Spears not having representation of her own choosing, she was finally granted the freedom of choosing her own attorney. Judge Brenda Penny made this official mid-July.
A conservatorship is basically a legal arrangement that puts an adult in charge of another adult. This gives the person in charge control over everything basically. In Britney’s case, her conservator was her father, Jamie Spears. He controlled her daily life and finances, to the point where she tried to get out of it.
You might be wondering how she got into this conservatorship in the first place. In 2008 when she was in a vulnerable state (she was placed under psychiatric hold after a divorce), her parents placed her under temporary conservatorship.
Over the years, the conservators have changed. At first, the court appointed a lawyer called Andrew Wallet. Wallet and Jamie Spears remained her conservators until 2019- when Wallet resigned. After that Jamie was her only conservator for some time until he had to get surgery. A professional fiduciary took his place after that.
Unsurprisingly, the #FreeBritney movement is not new. It began in 2009, after the details of her conservatorship was released to the public. In June this year, she described the horrors she had to go through as a conservatee during a public court hearing. Some of the things she experienced included being forced to take prescription drugs, being forced to go to therapy sessions where paparazzi could see her, and not being able to have another child because they didn’t allow her to get her IUD removed.
Many celebrities and fans have been constantly giving support to Britney. Several have expressed their support online through twitter. Missy Elliot and Jameela Jamil, a rapper and actress, called for her release from her conservatorship while others like Mariah Carey and Madonna have sent their love through tweets and posts. After the July 14 hearing, she expressed her gratitude by writing a statement about how thankful she was to her fans and supporters.
As of now, her conservatorship has been extended to September 2021, but progress is being made.
https://www.vulture.com/2021/07/britney-spears-conservatorship-hearing-win-details.html