Adele Jeffords Pope v. South Carolina

Petitioner Adele Pope is a former courtappointed fiduciary of the James Brown estate who for many years fought efforts by false claimants to divert funds that James Brown had intended to go to scholarships for underprivileged children but was ultimately replaced. In 2015 the South Carolina Supreme Court directed that Petitioner was “prohibited from filing any further motions or appeals in actions involving the Estate and Trust of James Brown in which she clearly has no standing” and warned that “continued attempts to involve herself in the resolution of the Estate and Trust may result in contempt charges.” Petitioner was recently held in criminal contempt by the South Carolina Supreme Court for sending a FOIA request for certain documents to the Attorney General of South Carolina, an act that any citizen of the State would have “standing” to perform. The Questions Presented are:

1. Whether the South Carolina Supreme Court’s interpretation and enforcement of its 2015 Order violates the First Amendment.

2. Whether the South Carolina Supreme Court’s 2015 Order is unconstitutionally vague, and/or the Court’s subsequent interpretation and enforcement of that Order violates Petitioner’s due process right to fair notice.