After playing a waiting game all morning, Britney Spears showed up at court on Monday (January 14) for the afternoon session to try to regain visitation rights with her two young sons -- only to leave just minutes later. The reason for her departure was unclear at press time. The singer was expected to explain what happened during a custody standoff on January 3, which ended when [article id="1578990"]she was taken away by ambulance.[/article]

Kevin Federline, sporting a mohawk and a navy-blue suit, attended the morning session, in which a male Los Angeles police officer -- one of the emergency respondents on the scene the night of January 3 -- testified under direct examination but is yet to be cross-examined. Up to eight other witnesses from that night are expected to testify as well, according to a spokesperson for the court.

Federline gained temporary sole legal and physical custody of Sean Preston and Jayden James after an emergency hearing two weeks ago, after Spears was hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai and placed on an involuntary hold. If Spears were to regain visitation rights, legal experts said it would likely be at a place outside her home, where she would be monitored.

Members of the media were ejected from Monday's proceedings after the judge granted a motion to clear the court. Gordon also granted one other motion to quash a subpoena, but there was no word who the subpoena had been issued to or what it involved.

Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan had issued a series of subpoenas for depositions from several former Spears associates, including manager Larry Rudolph, assistant Alli Sims and bodyguard Daimon Shippen. According to the last court documents filed about the matter, three more people were scheduled to be deposed throughout January, including former Spears bodyguard Anthony Barretto, former bodyguard Lonni Jones and former day-to-day manager Adam Leber.

Spears' lawyers from the firm Trope & Trope -- Sorrell Trope, Anne Kiley and Tara Scott -- all continued to represent her on Monday despite their [article id="1578873"]pending motion to be removed as her legal counsel.[/article] A hearing about that matter is scheduled for February 4.