Amici curiae (“friend of the court”) brief to support an appeal of a Missouri case involving critical right-to-counsel issues in adult guardianship cases. 10 disability and civil rights organizations joined this brief.
The amici brief argues that a person subject to guardianship has the right to hire a zealous advocate to challenge the terms of the guardianship under federal due process grounds, and it educated the court about best practices identified through national trends in the field.
Amicus brief filed in Britney Spears’ conservatorship case by American Civil Liberties Union with the support of Center for Public Representation and 25 civil rights and disability rights organizations.
The amicus brief argues that Britney Spears has the right to select her own attorney for her conservatorship proceedings. The brief also urges the court to ensure Ms. Spears has access to assistance and tools, including supported decision-making, to make this choice.
News article describing first man in Maine, Joshua Strong, to have guardianship rescinded in favor of SDM.
See also press release from Disability Rights Maine regarding Mr. Strong.
News article describing first woman in Indiana to regain decision-making rights in favor of SDM.
See also article in Indiana Lawyer.
Visit resource: 28-year-old Jamie Beck makes Indiana history as 1st to regain decision-making rights
Amicus brief describing SDM as an alternative to guardianship
Authors include:
Case removing guardianship in favor of supported decision-making model.
“Based on all the evidence in this case, Dameris has demonstrated that she is able to exercise her legal capacity, to make and act on her own decisions, with the assistance of a support network which has come together for her since she first appeared in this court. Terminating the letters of guardianship previously granted to Cruz and Alberto recognizes them, instead, as persons assisting and supporting her autonomy, not superseding it. Terminating the guardianship recognizes and affirms Dameris’s constitutional rights and human rights”
In re Guardianship of Dameris L., 38 Misc. 3d 570 (N.Y. Sur. Ct. 2012).
