The Jailhouse

[lmbass]

SO here's how you sway the judge..

LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' continuing downward spiral took a devastating turn Monday when she was ordered to relinquish custody of her children by a judge who had cited her drug-and-alcohol-fueled lifestyle.

Superior Court Judge Scott M. Gordon ruled that that ex-husband Kevin Federline will take Sean Preston, 2, and Jayden James, 1, beginning Wednesday "until further order of the court."

The order stemmed from an unspecified oral motion made by Federline's lawyers and was handled in a closed-door hearing. The judge's order did not state the reason for the change in custody and he ordered all transcripts of the proceedings sealed.

Phone messages left for representatives of Spears and Federline were not immediately returned Monday.