Britney Spears has lived her two years of motherhood under the glare of both the media and the government.
There were the tabloid stories when her baby fell out of a highchair and suffered scratches. There were the paparazzi photos showing her driving down Pacific Coast Highway while holding her infant son in her lap rather than securing him in a child car seat, which led to an inquiry by L.A. County officials. More recently, her trips to drug rehab and bouts of bizarre behavior that were caught on tape, including shaving her head, have brought further scrutiny of her parenting skills.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, October 03, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 55 words Type of Material: Correction
Britney Spears: A headline in Tuesday's California section on an article about Britney Spears losing custody of her two sons said the pop star was being regularly tested for drug and alcohol use. Spears had been ordered to submit to twice-weekly drug and alcohol testing, but it is not known whether she has been tested.
Last month, she was slapped with misdemeanor charges related to a hit and run after she allegedly left the scene of an accident.
On Monday, a Los Angeles County court commissioner had enough.
Commissioner Scott M. Gordon stripped Spears of custody of her two young sons, ordering her to hand the children over to her former husband, Kevin Federline, on Wednesday at 12 p.m.
In an eight-sentence decision, Gordon did not say why he took the action or say how long Spears would be denied custody. But two weeks ago, he said there was evidence that Spears was "a habitual, frequent and continuous" user of drugs and alcohol.
He ordered her to submit to twice-weekly drug and alcohol testing, undergo co-counseling with Federline and receive parent coaching.
The parental coach was ordered to report back to the court later this month, ahead of a Nov. 26 court date.
Gordon's intervention marks another setback for Spears, who has been struggling to revive her once-hot music career amid the intense glare of the tabloid media spotlight.
Legal experts said the ruling likely reflected the commissioner's belief that living with Spears posed "immediate harm" to her children.
Alexandra Leichter, a Beverly Hills-based private judge and family law arbitrator, said it was an extraordinary move considering the courts are very reluctant to take children away from either parent without a full hearing.
"The court must have had an extreme set of circumstances to make such a drastic order, especially when it refused to do so in light of the finding that Britney used drugs and alcohol," Leichter said. "He gave her an extra opportunity two weeks ago that another judicial officer may not have given her, and she apparently blew it."
Scott Altman, USC law school vice dean, said the decision could be short-lived, saying courts often shift custody arrangements based on the behavior of the parents.
