Britney Spears' Legal Battle Causes 2 Major Politicians to Make Inquiries About Conservatorships

The legal battle over Britney Spears' conservatorship has reached all the way to the United States [...]

By Michael Hein

The legal battle over Britney Spears' conservatorship has reached all the way to the United States Senate, where two prominent politicians are weighing in. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania wrote a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) this week, which was published by TIME. It calls for a re-examination of conservatorships in general, and perhaps a national overhaul.

Spears' case has been in the headlines since the television documentary Framing Britney Spears hit Hulu earlier this year. The singer has been under a guardianship program since 2008, where her father has legal authority over her personal life, finances and other matters due to concerns about her mental health. Spears gave an emotional testimony last week asking a judge to end the conservatorship arrangement, but she was denied. Warren and Casey are concerned not only about Spears but about the thousands of other cases where Americans may be unjustly subject to control from court-appointed guardians.

"Ms. Spears' case has shined a light on longstanding concerns from advocates who have underscored the potential for financial and civil rights abuses of individuals placed under guardianship or conservatorship," their letter read. "Despite these concerns, comprehensive data regarding guardianship (referred to as conservatorship in some states) in the United States are substantially lacking — hindering policymakers and advocates' efforts to understand gaps and abuses in the system and find ways to address them."

Guardianship or conservatorship programs vary widely from state to state, and in some cases, they are productive and helpful. Warren and Casey asked only for an effort to re-examine these programs and perhaps make some elements of them uniform across the country, but they acknowledged that the programs have an appropriate time and place.

"While guardians and conservators often serve selflessly and in the best interest of the person under guardianship, a lack of resources for court oversight and insufficient due process in guardianship proceedings can create significant opportunities for neglect, exploitation, and abuse," the Senators wrote. They continued that it is "imperative that federal officials work collaboratively with state courts to identify gaps in our understanding of problems with America's guardianship system and develop solutions to address them."

The letter asks the HHS and DOJ for a response by Wednesday, July 14. You can read the full letter yourself on TIME's website. Framing Britney Spears is streaming now on Hulu, with a free trial available here for new users.

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