The custody battle over Sarah Palin's grandson will play out in public, a judge has ruled, rejecting a plea by Palin's daughter to keep the proceedings closed to shield her son from potential embarrassment when he is older.
The custody battle over Sarah Palin's grandson will play out in public, a judge has ruled, rejecting a plea by Palin's daughter to keep the proceedings closed to shield her son from potential embarrassment when he is older.
Last month, Bristol Palin (19), the daughter of the US vice-presidential candidate last year, filed for sole custody of her son, Tripp, saying her former boyfriend, Levi Johnston, was too immature to care for a child.
She said she and her family already cared for the child and asked that the court case be closed to keep it from the media.
"In this day and age of the Internet, media stories remain available for years, even decades... and anything printed in the media (whether it is true or not) will be available to Tripp when he is old enough to read,'' Palin wrote in an affidavit.
She also said Johnston (19) wanted to keep the case public to promote himself.
Johnston is seeking joint custody of the child and told the court that both youngsters were fit to be parents.
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