The ACLU has asked to file an amicus brief in Britney Spears’ ongoing conservatorship case, arguing that Spears should be allowed to choose her own attorney.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has asked to file an amicus brief in Britney Spears ’ ongoing conservatorship case, arguing that Spears should be allowed to choose her own attorney, and that to not allow her to do so would violate her constitutional rights. The request to Judge Brenda Perry, filed Monday, named more than two dozen advocacy organizations, including the ACLU Foundation Disability Rights Program, the Disability Rights Legal Center, and Mental Health Advocacy Services, as potential signatories to the request. “Proposed amici have an interest in ensuring that every person in a conservatorship, or at risk of a conservatorship, enjoys full, meaningful due process rights, in light of the significant liberty and autonomy interests at stake in these proceedings, and the long duration of the loss of rights that often occurs in conservatorships,” the ACLU’s request said. “Proposed amici believe that these due process rights include effective assistance of counsel throughout the conservatorship process, including the right to an attorney who zealously represents their interests, and the right to select and retain the attorney of their choice,” the brief continued. “Proposed amici further have an interest in ensuring that people with disabilities, people perceived to have disabilities, and people with a record of disabilities, can use voluntary supports to make their own, informed choices.” The filing described the ACLU and other organizations as “proponents for supported decision-making as a tool to help people with disabilities retain and exercise their rights and make their own decisions.
