Levi Johnston Gets Public Release Of Child Custody Case

FOXNews.com:

Sarah Palin's oldest daughter appears to have lost her bid to keep a bitter legal dispute with her 1-year-old son's father confidential.

An Alaska judge last week denied Bristol Palin's request to keep the legal proceedings of her custody dispute with Levi Johnston closed.

Palin, 18, filed a petition in early November seeking sole custody of her son, Tripp, and child support payments. She had argued that the scrutiny the case could attract would turn it into a "media circus" that potentially could cause her son embarrassment as he grows older.

"In this day and age of the internet, media stories remain available for years, even decades, after they are first published, and anything printed in the media [whether it is true or not] will be available to Tripp when he is old enough to read," she said in an affidavit.

Levi Johnston, who is seeking joint custody, has pushed for open court proceedings, saying he "just wants a simple case on the merits."

"I do not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding," Johnston said in an affidavit. "I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it. Bristol's attorney is her attorney."

Bristol Palin said that her mother, who resigned as Alaska governor in July, would not be involved in the case other than as "grandmother."

Palin's petition also seeks a visitation schedule for Johnston, who she says has exercised "sporadic visitation rights."

This case should've been kept private. Levi Johnston, whose already proven how much he loves the public spotlight, has no proof of Sarah Palin's involvement here. And if Bristol's mother is supporting her daughter here, well, that's what most moms would do. This is about nothing but Levi Johnston continued contempt for Sarah Palin, so much so that he would even put his personal hate for her ahead of the best interests of his son. He's a sad and pathetic young man who clearly needs lots of help. One can only hope that the Alaskan court doesn't allow personal feelings about Sarah Plain to affect their final judgment in deciding this custody case.