Details about a custody case between Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin were revealed this week as Palin's request for a private trial was denied by a Superior Court Judge. Bristol is suing for full custody of their son, Tripp, as well as for child support and a set visitation schedule for Levi. Bristol claims that she provides almost complete care for the child currently and that Levi is "not yet mature enough to take on significant parental responsibilities", citing his recent naked photos for Playgirl magazine. She also wants to make sure that Tripp is not left unsupervised with Levi's mom, who is on home confinement after a recent drug arrest. Levi, however, wants shared custody of their son and claims in court documents that he has not been shirking his parental responsibilities.

Palin requested the court case be kept private with an attached gag order and filed under pseudonyms, claiming that it was in Tripp's best interest. Levi, however, wanted the case to be public because he feels unprotected "against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding". He noted that Sarah and Bristol have the same lawyer, and suggested that Sarah might pressure their lawyer to be rough on him during the trial. In the end, the court ruled that there was no compelling reason to keep the case closed, and therefore will be open to the public.