Inevitably, Bristol Palin/Levi Johnston custody battle goes public

In his response to Palin’s petition, Johnston requested joint custody of the child and said he requested an open proceeding because without it he would not be “protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding.”

“I hope that if it is open she will stay out of it,” Johnston said in the affidavit. “I think a public case might go a long way in reducing Sarah Palin’s instinct to attack and allow the real parties in this litigation, Bristol and I, to work things out a lot more peacefully than we could if there is any more meddling from Sarah Palin.”