Federline "is to retain physical custody of the minor children on Wednesday October 3, 2007, at 12pm until further order of the court", the court documents said.
The divorce between Spears, 25, and Federline, 29, became final at the end of July, but their temporary shared custody arrangement for their sons began to unravel amid allegations from Federline's camp that Spears was an unfit mother.
A judge on September 18 ordered Spears to undergo random drug testing in the latest twist in the bitter custody battle over Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1.
Los Angeles Superior Court judge Scott Gordon said at the time that, according to evidence presented in closed door hearings, Spears was a "habitual, frequent, and continuous" user of "controlled substances and alcohol", court documents showed.
Her drug and alcohol testing was to be "conducted twice per week on random dates and times".
However, Monday's documents said the
transcript of proceedings was "sealed" and gave no details about
what led the court to change the custody order.
Last month, a former Spears bodyguard lodged a statement with the
court making allegations of nudity and drug use, and expressing
concern about the welfare of Spears's sons.
Reports have said Federline had been seeking a 70/30 arrangement in
his favour instead of the 50/50 agreement the couple agreed to after
separating.
Spears and Federline were to be "restrained from making derogatory
remarks about the other party and the other party's family or
significant other", an earlier court order said.
Gordon, who also ordered Spears to see a therapist at least once a
week, is requiring her to hire a parenting "coach" and ordered the
former couple to sign up for a Parenting Without Conflict program.
Spears filed for divorce last year from Federline, a former back-up
dancer and aspiring rap singer, and has rarely been out of the
tabloid headlines since - especially following her downward spiral
that landed her in a rehabilitation centre in February.
Her stint in rehab followed a series of lurid tabloid headlines
chronicling her erratic lifestyle.
She was repeatedly photographed in nightspots wearing no underwear,
and was also captured bizarrely shaving her head in a hair salon and
attacking a photographer's car with an umbrella.
She reportedly has had fallings out with both of her parents; media
reports also speculated that she might suffer from post-partum
depression or another psychiatric condition.
The loss of custody was the latest blow to Spears's image as she
attempts to rebuild her sagging career ahead of the release in
November of her first album in four years.
Just weeks ago, her management company terminated a barely month-old
contract with her, following a heavily criticised public performance
she gave at the MTV Video Music Awards in Las Vegas.
The talented dancer and performer stunned many at the show by
appearing not to know all the moves to her own number, or all the
words to her own song.
She shot to superstardom in late 1998, with her smash-hit debut
album Baby One More Time which she followed with another
chart-topping success the following year, Oops! ... I Did It
Again.
Time magazine reports that Spears has sold more than 76
million records worldwide and her 31 million albums sold in the US
make her the eighth best-selling female artist in US music history.
AFP