Britney Spears stripped children custody

Gordon did not make public his reasons for stripping Spears of custody. But her attorney, Sorrell Trope, told People magazine that the judge acted after the singer failed to prove compliance with his orders.

"Specifically the judge ordered that by 10 a.m. (Monday) morning, both parties show valid California driving licenses. I've been unable to produce evidence of that," Trope said.

He added that another reason behind the judge's custody ruling "was a claim by Mr. Federline's attorney that she had not complied with a previous order the court had made - ... about having a random drug and alcohol test."

"There's no evidence that she actually failed a test," the lawyer said. But he added that the judge had scheduled a new hearing for Wednesday because of her failure to comply with previous orders made by the court.

Representatives for Spears and Federline were not immediately available for comment to Reuters.

Spears' latest setback in court follows a year of erratic behavior and club-hopping since separating from Federline last November, during which she shaved her head, checked in and out of rehab programs, and struggled to stage a career comeback.