In a highly anticipated hearing, Britney Spears is expected to address the court in the conservatorship that has controlled her money and affairs for 13 years.
If a Los Angeles judge does not make a last-minute decision Wednesday to seal the proceedings, Spears' words on the case will be heard in open court for the first time.
The hearing is scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. ET. Fans from the so-called #FreeBritney movement are expected to gather outside the Los Angeles courthouse in larger numbers than usual.
The hearing comes at the request of the 39-year-old pop star, but there has been no indication as to what she plans to say.
The pop star has been under a strict conservatorship since 2008 after concerns were raised about her mental and physical well-being. The conservatorship restricts Spears' ability to make her own business deals, medical decisions and even see her sons.
Interest in Spears' case has grown in recent years, spurred by social media rallying cries to #FreeBritney. "Framing Britney Spears", a New York Times documentary widely seen on Hulu, further spread interest in the case earlier this year.
Spear's conservatorship is still heavily shrouded in mandatory secrecy.
Spears has said in a court filing that it "rescued her from a collapse," but in a court record obtained by The New York Times, an investigator also wrote: "She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her."
The pop star is fighting to remove her father from having a say in controlling her fortune, estimated at nearly $60 million, and possibly going as far as terminating the system entirely.
