Palin’s son asks to bar media from hearings

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The eldest son of former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is seeking to bar the media from covering court hearings after he was accused of assaulting his father last year at the family home in Alaska.

A lawyer for Track Palin, 29, filed a motion Friday to prohibit or limit media access to proceedings in Veterans Court, including a hearing scheduled to take place Tuesday.

Palin’s attorney, Patrick Bergt, said the motion was filed on grounds to ensure the case does not become a distraction to other veterans in the system. Veterans Court is part of Alaska’s therapeutic court system.

Bergt said he also plans to file an application next week to formally transfer the case to the Veterans Court. The case is officially in Superior Court in Palmer north of Anchorage.

Anchorage District Court Judge David Wallace denied media requests to cover pretrial proceedings early last week in Veterans Court.

He cited an administrative rule that requires media requests to be submitted at least 24 hours ahead of time as the reason for barring reporters, though judges have leeway and have granted approval in a much shorter timeframe.

Wallace was appointed to the bench by Sarah Palin when she was Alaska’s governor. A phone message left at the court asking if Wallace planned to recuse himself because of that tie was not returned.

Anchorage-based media attorney John McKay said he has no issue with Wallace overseeing the case, even as a Sarah Palin appointee. The system allows either side to pre-empt a judge if they feel it’s appropriate, he said.

Track Palin was arrested in December after his mother told authorities her son was on some kind of medication and “freaking out.”

Track Palin