New developments have drastically altered the future of the #FREEBRITNEY movement. Britney Spears’s father, Jamie Spears, has just announced his decision to step down from his role as Britney’s conservator on Thursday, August 12th, 2021. Thousands of people took to Twitter to share their joy at this milestone in the fight to liberate Britney from her court-ordered conservatorship. Tweets like “BRITNEY IS FINALLY FREE” have trended on Twitter for the past 24 hours. But it looks like too many people have confused what this step in this legal battle actually means for the megastar’s freedom. 

In order to really understand what this new development implies, you have to understand the conditions that led to it. After Britney’s bombshell June 23rd hearing, Britney was approved to replace her conservator-selected attorney Sam D. Ingham with the more supportive Matthew Rosengart. In the July 14th hearing for that transition, Britney made it clear to the court that she believed her father was abusing her in his role as her conservator. Later that month, Britney’s legal team filed a petition to replace Jamie in his role as conservator with Jason Rubin, who has an extensive background in financial elder abuse. Rubin would then join Jodi Montgomery as conservator. Montgomery claims that Britney asked her to stay on as her conservator, though that claim has yet to be verified by Britney or her legal team. The hearing to address this petition is scheduled to take place on September 29th of this year.

Moving on, it’s time to unpack what Jamie Spears’ legal team actually petitioned last night, and the implications this petition has for Britney’s future. 

Jamie Spears’s attorney Vivian Thoreen filed a petition addressing Britney’s legal team’s request for his replacement. In turn, Thoreen filed a petition stating that Jamie has decided to step down from his role as Britney’s conservator, but with some hefty stipulations.

First, Jamie will be involved with the transition of his conservatorship power to another body, though who/what entity that will be has yet to be decided. Second, Jamie has refused to give the public a definite timeline of when he will actually step down, and has instead insisted that “When these matters are resolved, Mr. Spears will be in a position to step aside. But there are no urgent circumstances justifying Mr. Spears’ immediate suspension.” Third, Jamie has completely denied Britney’s accusations of conservator abuse. Instead, Jamie and his legal team claim that his decision to step down was influenced by online abuse, alleging that Jamie is “the unremitting target of unjustified attacks.”  In turn, he claims that he’s stepping down for Britney’s sake, to avoid a potential public legal battle with his daughter, which his team says could have negative ramifications for her and her health. Finally, and probably most importantly, Jamie and his legal team have said that they will still contest this petition for removal in court this September, claiming that it is “completely unjustified” and that there are “no urgent circumstances justifying Mr. Spears’ immediate suspension.” Functionally, this means that Jamie and his team are combating Britney’s petition to remove him. 

While Jamie’s decision to step away from the conservatorship is a massive step in the fight for Britney’s freedom, it definitely does not mean that she is finally free. Since Jamie has not given the public a timeline on his removal, he could continue to act as Britney’s conservator for an indefinite amount of time. Plus, his stipulation that he stay involved until they’ve transitioned-in a new replacement makes that indefinite period seem even longer. It could mean that Jamie will remain her conservator for a few months––depending on how the September 29th hearing to install Jason Rubin goes––or for more than a year. This makes it clear that this battle for Britney’s freedom and the reinstatement of her full autonomy is far from over.

It is also important to note that Jamie stepping down from the conservatorship does not automatically end the conservatorship’s hold on Britney’s life. Even if Jamie is completely removed from his role, Britney’s conservatorship will still be in place, just with new management. While this is a great next step in Britney’s journey to freedom, the conservatorship still maintains a crushing amount of control over her finances, her decisions, and her life. Britney is definitely far from gaining the autonomy over her life that she deserves, and this development does not definitively mark the end of her troubles.