A judge repeatedly told Palin and family not to badmouth her sister's

A judge repeatedly told Palin and family not to badmouth her sister's
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http://www.newsweek.com/id/158140
An Anchorage judge three years ago warned Sarah Palin and members of
her family to stop "disparaging" the reputation of Alaska State
Trooper Michael Wooten, who at the time was undergoing a bitter
separation and divorce from Palin's sister Molly.

Allegations that Palin, her husband Todd, and at least one top
gubernatorial aide continued to vilify Wooten—after Palin became
Alaska's governor and pressured state police officials to take action
against him—are at the center of "Troopergate," a political and
ethical controversy which has embroiled Palin's administration and is
currently the subject of an official inquiry by a special investigator
hired by the state legislature.

Court records obtained by NEWSWEEK show that during the course of
divorce hearings three years ago, Judge John Suddock heard testimony
from an official of the Alaska State Troopers' union about how Sarah
Palin—then a private citizen—and members of her family, including her
father and daughter, lodged up to a dozen complaints against Wooten
with the state police. The union official told the judge that he had
never before been asked to appear as a divorce-case witness, that the
union believed family complaints against Wooten were "not job-
related," and that Wooten was being "harassed" by Palin and other
family members.

Court documents show that Judge Suddock was disturbed by the alleged
attacks by Palin and her family members on Wooten's behavior and
character. "Disparaging will not be tolerated—it is a form of child
abuse," the judge told a settlement hearing in October 2005, according
to typed notes of the proceedings. The judge added: "Relatives cannot
disparage either. If occurs [sic] the parent needs to set boundaries
for their relatives."

A spokesperson for the law firm that represented Palin's sister, now
known as Molly Hackett, said Hackett's lawyer would have no comment
because custody issues are still in litigation. Other lawyers
representing Sarah Palin in connection with the state legislative
investigation—which is examining whether she abused her powers as
governor in trying to have Wooten fired or disciplined—had no
immediate comment. Palin's official gubernatorial spokeswoman did not
respond to e-mails and a phone message requesting comment.

Wooten's lawyer also did not respond to messages requesting comment.
John Cyr, executive director of the State Troopers union, who
testified at the divorce hearing and is acting as Wooten's spokesman,
said Wooten has avoided giving media interviews because he wants to
avoid criticizing his former relatives (to date, Wooten has granted
just one interview, to CNN).

As the divorce case dragged on, the judge's concern about family
"disparagement" appeared to deepen. In an order signed Jan. 31, 2006,
which granted Palin's sister and Wooten a final divorce decree, Judge
Suddock continued to express concern about attacks by Palin's family
on Wooten. The judge even threatened to curb Palin's sister's child
custody rights if family criticism of Wooten continued.

In monitoring how a joint-custody arrangement worked out, the judge
said in his order that he would pay particular attention to problems
noted by a "custody investigator," specifically "the disparagement of
the father [Wooten] by the mother [Molly Hackett, Sarah Palin's
sister] and her family members."