Bristol Palin
Encyclopedia
Bristol Sheeran Marie Palin (born October 18, 1990) is the second child and oldest daughter of former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin
and her husband, Todd
.
After Palin became a single mother at age 18, she began to publicly advocate sexual abstinence
for unmarried teens, and is now a paid speaker on the subject of teen pregnancy.
She competed in the fall 2010 season of Dancing with the Stars
, where she received lower scores from the judges than some other contestants but was voted through week after week by fans. She reached the finals, finishing in third place.
. She was named "Bristol" after the Bristol Inn
where her mother had been employed; Bristol, Connecticut
, the headquarters city of ESPN
, where her mother had hoped to work as a sportscaster; and the Bristol Bay
region of Alaska, where her father grew up.
Beginning in 2005, Bristol attended Juneau-Douglas High School
and began dating Levi Johnston
. In 2008, she briefly lived in Anchorage with her aunt and uncle and attended West Anchorage High School
. She returned to Wasilla and graduated from Wasilla High School
in May 2009.
, a teen pregnancy prevention organization that is a division of the Candie's clothing brand. In April 2011 it was reported that Palin was paid more than $262,000 by the foundation for her work in 2009. Her duties as a paid spokeswoman involved attending town hall meetings, public service announcements, and giving interviews on morning talk shows. On Good Morning America
, she stated, "Regardless of what I did personally, abstinence is the only 100% foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy." In another interview on Good Morning America
with Robin Roberts
she stated that 'Pause Before You Play hits a wider range of message, it can mean pause and go get a condom, it can be pause and think about your life, or it could be pause and wait until marriage.' Before Palin became a spokeswoman, she told Fox News that abstinence is "not realistic at all", but that she would like it to become more accepted among people her age. Several weeks later, she stated that that quote had been "taken out of context."
Her role as a spokesperson has been controversial. Bonnie Fuller
, former editor-in-chief of YM
, has questioned whether the net effect of Palin's presentations has glamorized rather than discouraged teen pregnancy, noting that the "picture perfect" imagery of a People magazine spread seemed to make her "the poster girl for teen momhood." Meghan McCain
stated her support for sex education
and criticized Palin's sexual abstinence campaign, saying it was "not realistic for this generation." Former MSNBC
commentator Keith Olbermann
declared Palin his "Worst Person in the World" for her advocacy, to which Palin replied "Accusing me of hypocrisy is by now, an old canard... Parents warn their children about the mistakes they made so they are not repeated. Former gang members travel to schools to educate teenagers about the risks of gang life. Recovered addicts lecture to others about the risks of alcohol and drug abuse. And yes, a teen mother talks about the benefits of preventing teen pregnancy."
Palin works on the speakers' circuit asking between $15,000 and $30,000 for each appearance. She has signed with Single Source Speakers and is listed on their website as available for conferences, fundraisers, special events and holidays, as well as women's, youth, abstinence and pro-life programs.
In January 2011 she was invited to speak at Sexual Responsibility Week at Washington University in St. Louis
, but students protested the high fee she was to be paid out of student-generated funds and her appearance was cancelled.
, public relations
and political consulting
services firm. While the initial focus will be working with Candie's Foundation, BSMP plans to work with additional clients.
network series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager
, playing a friend of the fictional character Amy, a 15 year old who is dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. She filmed the scenes in Los Angeles in March 2010; the episode aired on July 5, 2010. "I like doing speaking engagements and stuff like that," she told E!
. "I don't think I'll be doing any more acting in the future."
of Dancing with the Stars
(DWTS), partnered with professional Mark Ballas
, who is a two time champion on the show, having won with Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi
in season 6, and with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson
in season 8.
Her long run on the show despite her frequently lower scores from the judges, attracted media attention and speculation. Questions were raised about the integrity of the public voting process including allegations of fraudulent online voting using multiple e-mail addresses. Executives at ABC and the show's executive producer, Conrad Green
, stated that "checks and balances" in the system, including IP address verification, prevent such voting practices, and that "[t]here's nothing in the voting that looks dissimilar to previous seasons." Nonetheless, Green speculated that Palin may have received votes for political reasons by backers of her mother in the Tea Party movement
, and support from older viewers who had maternal feelings toward her due to her youth and lack of prior experience. Palin herself credited her success to the support of her fans who were tuning in each week to see her improvement.
Palin's success on the show attracted other negative attention, including death threats against her. In one instance, suspicious white powder was received by the show. The powder turned out to be harmless, but as a result, security on the show was tightened.
Palin and her partner finished in third place. Prior to the final show, Palin stated that winning "would be like a big middle finger out there to all the people out there who hate my mom and hate me." Following the competition, she remarked that she was happy with her third place finish, that prayer and faith had helped her, and that she had grown as a person.
Due to her dancing rehearsal schedule, she said she forgot to mail in her absentee ballot
for the November 2010 general election.
, helping on a commercial halibut
fishing boat. During the airing of the first episode, Bristol posted defensive comments on Facebook
against posters who criticized the Palin family. Some of Bristol's comments included profanity
, for which she later issued an apology.
, with Palin dressed in a fur hat and coat and played a mother-nature-type role of melting the ice.
's vice presidential running mate
in late August 2008, his advisers already knew of Bristol's pregnancy, which they believed would be a political liability. On September 1, the opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention
, it was publicly announced that Palin was pregnant and engaged to Johnston, the father of her unborn child. Palin's entire family, along with Johnston, appeared at the convention. McCain's advisers reportedly thought a wedding between Johnston and Palin would boost the waning popularity of the McCain-Palin ticket. Johnston denied claims that he was being pressured into a shotgun wedding, stating, "We were planning on getting married a long time ago with or without the kid. That was the plan from the start."
Palin and Johnston broke off their engagement in March 2009. In November 2009, a custody and child support case was filed in a local Alaska court. Palin asked the court to use pseudonyms for herself and Johnston to keep the normally public proceedings private, arguing that the media attention would not be good for the child. Johnston argued for open proceedings, saying he wanted the case to be decided on the merits, and that he did "not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding." In December 2009, on Tripp's first birthday, the judge ruled in favor of Johnston, and it was publicly announced that the pair had been battling for legal custody. Palin, who wished to win full custody rights and child support consistent with Johnston's income, stated that Johnston had "exercised sporadic visitation rights" and "wants the rights for his own self-promotion". Johnston sought shared custody and lower child support payments. In February 2010 a judge ruled that Johnston had to pay back child support, with a hearing set to determine the amount of ongoing support payments.
That month, Palin and her son began living in a condo she had purchased in Anchorage, where she was working at a dermatologist's office and taking business courses at a community college
. In July 2010, Palin and Johnston announced that they had reunited and were again engaged, but less than three weeks later, they ended their second engagement.
In August 2010 she moved out of the condo and returned to her parents' home, and the couple reached an agreement giving primary custody to Palin and visitation rights and child support responsibility to Johnston. In December 2010, Palin purchased a five-bedroom house in Maricopa, Arizona
, a suburb of Phoenix
, for $172,000 in cash, according to Pinal County
property records.
Sarah Palin
Sarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
and her husband, Todd
Todd Palin
Todd Mitchell Palin is the husband of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the 2008 vice-presidential nominee of the Republican Party. He is an American oil field production operator, commercial fisherman and champion snowmobile racer, winning the Tesoro Iron Dog race four times.-Early life:Palin...
.
After Palin became a single mother at age 18, she began to publicly advocate sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence
Sexual abstinence is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, philosophical or religious reasons.Common reasons for practicing sexual abstinence include:*poor health - medical celibacy...
for unmarried teens, and is now a paid speaker on the subject of teen pregnancy.
She competed in the fall 2010 season of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars (U.S. season 11)
Dancing with the Stars returned for an 11th season on September 20, 2010. The cast was announced during the August 30 episode of Bachelor Pad during a live press conference that included a Q&A session with host Tom Bergeron and co-host Brooke Burke and the new cast. There are twelve celebrity cast...
, where she received lower scores from the judges than some other contestants but was voted through week after week by fans. She reached the finals, finishing in third place.
Early life and education
Palin was born and raised in Wasilla, AlaskaWasilla, Alaska
Wasilla is a city in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, United States and the sixth-largest city in Alaska. It is located on the northern point of Cook Inlet in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley of the southcentral part of the state. The city's population was 7,831 at the 2010 census...
. She was named "Bristol" after the Bristol Inn
Hotel Bristol
There are more than 200 hotels around the world called Bristol. Italy has the most, with more than 50, France has around 30. They range from the grand European hotels, such as Hôtel Le Bristol Paris and the Bristol in Vienna to budget hotels, such as the SRO Bristol in San Francisco...
where her mother had been employed; Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
, the headquarters city of ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, where her mother had hoped to work as a sportscaster; and the Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay
Bristol Bay is the eastern-most arm of the Bering Sea, at 57° to 59° North 157° to 162° West in Southwest Alaska. Bristol Bay is 400 km long and 290 km, wide at its mouth...
region of Alaska, where her father grew up.
Beginning in 2005, Bristol attended Juneau-Douglas High School
Juneau-Douglas High School
Juneau-Douglas High School is one of two high schools in Juneau, Alaska. It is the primary high school for the Juneau School District. The other high school, Thunder Mountain High School, is smaller, and most of its students are from the Mendenhall Valley...
and began dating Levi Johnston
Levi Johnston
Levi Keith Johnston is the former fiancé of Bristol Palin. He first received media attention in August 2008 when U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin announced that her daughter Bristol was five months pregnant with Johnston's baby and that the two were engaged...
. In 2008, she briefly lived in Anchorage with her aunt and uncle and attended West Anchorage High School
West Anchorage High School
West Anchorage High School is a public high school in Anchorage in the U.S. state of Alaska and part of the Anchorage School District.-History:The school was established as Anchorage High School in 1953, during a boom period in Anchorage...
. She returned to Wasilla and graduated from Wasilla High School
Wasilla High School
Wasilla High School is a public secondary school in Wasilla, Alaska, United States, serving students in grades 9–12. The school became nationally known following then-Governor Sarah Palin's nomination as the Republican vice-presidential running mate to John McCain in the 2008 United States...
in May 2009.
Teen pregnancy prevention spokesperson
In May 2009, at age 18, Palin started working with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy to inform young people about the negative consequences of teenage pregnancy. The campaign's spokesman, said that working with Palin made sense, because "she's had the highest-profile teen pregnancy of the year." Several interviews and pictorials for similar organizations followed. Also in May 2009 Palin was named a Teen Pregnancy Prevention Ambassador for the Candie’s FoundationCandie’s Foundation
The Candie’s Foundation is a non-profit foundation whose mission is to prevent teenage pregnancy through educational campaigns. The foundation develops and runs communication campaigns to raise awareness about, and motivate teens to prevent, teen pregnancy...
, a teen pregnancy prevention organization that is a division of the Candie's clothing brand. In April 2011 it was reported that Palin was paid more than $262,000 by the foundation for her work in 2009. Her duties as a paid spokeswoman involved attending town hall meetings, public service announcements, and giving interviews on morning talk shows. On Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, she stated, "Regardless of what I did personally, abstinence is the only 100% foolproof way you can prevent pregnancy." In another interview on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
with Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts may refer to:* Robin Roberts , American baseball player* Robin Roberts , Good Morning America anchor and former ESPN anchor...
she stated that 'Pause Before You Play hits a wider range of message, it can mean pause and go get a condom, it can be pause and think about your life, or it could be pause and wait until marriage.' Before Palin became a spokeswoman, she told Fox News that abstinence is "not realistic at all", but that she would like it to become more accepted among people her age. Several weeks later, she stated that that quote had been "taken out of context."
Her role as a spokesperson has been controversial. Bonnie Fuller
Bonnie Fuller
Bonnie Fuller is a Canadian media executive and the editor of HollywoodLife.com. Fuller has been responsible for several magazine titles, including as Vice President and Chief Editorial Director of American Media .She was editor of Flare magazine, YM magazine, the...
, former editor-in-chief of YM
YM (magazine)
YM was an American teen magazine that began in 1932. It was published for 72 years and was the second-oldest girls' magazine in the United States...
, has questioned whether the net effect of Palin's presentations has glamorized rather than discouraged teen pregnancy, noting that the "picture perfect" imagery of a People magazine spread seemed to make her "the poster girl for teen momhood." Meghan McCain
Meghan McCain
Meghan Marguerite McCain is an American columnist, author, and blogger. She is a daughter of U.S. Senator John McCain and Cindy Hensley McCain. McCain first received media attention in 2007 for her blog, McCain Blogette, on which she documented life on the campaign trail and mused about...
stated her support for sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
and criticized Palin's sexual abstinence campaign, saying it was "not realistic for this generation." Former MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
commentator Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann
Keith Theodore Olbermann is an American political commentator and writer. He has been the chief news officer of the Current TV network and the host of Current TV's weeknight political commentary program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, since June 20, 2011...
declared Palin his "Worst Person in the World" for her advocacy, to which Palin replied "Accusing me of hypocrisy is by now, an old canard... Parents warn their children about the mistakes they made so they are not repeated. Former gang members travel to schools to educate teenagers about the risks of gang life. Recovered addicts lecture to others about the risks of alcohol and drug abuse. And yes, a teen mother talks about the benefits of preventing teen pregnancy."
Palin works on the speakers' circuit asking between $15,000 and $30,000 for each appearance. She has signed with Single Source Speakers and is listed on their website as available for conferences, fundraisers, special events and holidays, as well as women's, youth, abstinence and pro-life programs.
In January 2011 she was invited to speak at Sexual Responsibility Week at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
, but students protested the high fee she was to be paid out of student-generated funds and her appearance was cancelled.
Business venture
In September 2009, Palin formed BSMP, a lobbyingLobbying
Lobbying is the act of attempting to influence decisions made by officials in the government, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying is done by various people or groups, from private-sector individuals or corporations, fellow legislators or government officials, or...
, public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
and political consulting
Political consulting
Political consulting, beyond the self-evident definition of consulting in political matters, refers to a specific management consulting industry which has grown up around advising and assisting political campaigns. This article deals primarily with the development and nature of political consulting...
services firm. While the initial focus will be working with Candie's Foundation, BSMP plans to work with additional clients.
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
Palin appeared in an episode of the ABC FamilyABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
network series, The Secret Life of the American Teenager
The Secret Life of the American Teenager
The Secret Life of the American Teenager is an American teen drama television series created by Brenda Hampton. It first aired on ABC Family on July 1, 2008. The show was renewed for a second season consisting of 24 episodes on February 9, 2009, which began airing on June 22, 2009...
, playing a friend of the fictional character Amy, a 15 year old who is dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. She filmed the scenes in Los Angeles in March 2010; the episode aired on July 5, 2010. "I like doing speaking engagements and stuff like that," she told E!
E!
E! Entertainment Television is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by NBCUniversal. It features entertainment-related programming, reality television, feature films and occasionally series and specials unrelated to the entertainment industry.E! has an audience reach of...
. "I don't think I'll be doing any more acting in the future."
Dancing with the Stars
Palin joined the Fall 2010 seasonDancing with the Stars (U.S. season 11)
Dancing with the Stars returned for an 11th season on September 20, 2010. The cast was announced during the August 30 episode of Bachelor Pad during a live press conference that included a Q&A session with host Tom Bergeron and co-host Brooke Burke and the new cast. There are twelve celebrity cast...
of Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
(DWTS), partnered with professional Mark Ballas
Mark Ballas
Mark Alexander Ballas Jr. is an American dancer.Ballas is a professional ballroom dancer on the ABC program Dancing with the Stars. He began competing on the show in the fall of 2007. He was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Choreography in 2011...
, who is a two time champion on the show, having won with Olympic figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristi Yamaguchi
Kristine Tsuya "Kristi" Yamaguchi-Hedican is an American figure skater. She is the 1992 Olympic Champion in ladies' singles. Yamaguchi also won two World Figure Skating Championships in 1991 and 1992 and a U.S. Figure Skating Championships in 1992. She won one junior world title in 1988 and two...
in season 6, and with Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson
Shawn Johnson
Shawn Machel Johnson is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion...
in season 8.
Her long run on the show despite her frequently lower scores from the judges, attracted media attention and speculation. Questions were raised about the integrity of the public voting process including allegations of fraudulent online voting using multiple e-mail addresses. Executives at ABC and the show's executive producer, Conrad Green
Conrad Green
Conrad Green is a television producer and editor. He is noted for his successful work on reality television shows.He has been producer or executive producer for such shows as Dancing with the Stars, Big Brother, Ibiza Uncovered, Red Handed, The Pride of Britain Awards and Popstars...
, stated that "checks and balances" in the system, including IP address verification, prevent such voting practices, and that "[t]here's nothing in the voting that looks dissimilar to previous seasons." Nonetheless, Green speculated that Palin may have received votes for political reasons by backers of her mother in the Tea Party movement
Tea Party movement
The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...
, and support from older viewers who had maternal feelings toward her due to her youth and lack of prior experience. Palin herself credited her success to the support of her fans who were tuning in each week to see her improvement.
Palin's success on the show attracted other negative attention, including death threats against her. In one instance, suspicious white powder was received by the show. The powder turned out to be harmless, but as a result, security on the show was tightened.
Palin and her partner finished in third place. Prior to the final show, Palin stated that winning "would be like a big middle finger out there to all the people out there who hate my mom and hate me." Following the competition, she remarked that she was happy with her third place finish, that prayer and faith had helped her, and that she had grown as a person.
Due to her dancing rehearsal schedule, she said she forgot to mail in her absentee ballot
Absentee ballot
An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this...
for the November 2010 general election.
Sarah Palin's Alaska
Bristol made an appearance on the TLC travelogue/documentary Sarah Palin's AlaskaSarah Palin's Alaska
Sarah Palin's Alaska is an American television show hosted by former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. According to Palin, the show's aim is to bring "the wonder and majesty of Alaska to all Americans"...
, helping on a commercial halibut
Halibut
Halibut is a flatfish, genus Hippoglossus, from the family of the right-eye flounders . Other flatfish are also called halibut. The name is derived from haly and butt , for its popularity on Catholic holy days...
fishing boat. During the airing of the first episode, Bristol posted defensive comments on Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
against posters who criticized the Palin family. Some of Bristol's comments included profanity
Profanity
Profanity is a show of disrespect, or a desecration or debasement of someone or something. Profanity can take the form of words, expressions, gestures, or other social behaviors that are socially constructed or interpreted as insulting, rude, vulgar, obscene, desecrating, or other forms.The...
, for which she later issued an apology.
Music video
While still competing on DWTS, Palin appeared in a music video for an Alaskan symphony rock band, Static Cycle. The video was shot at the Ice Museum in Chena Hot Springs, AlaskaChena Hot Springs, Alaska
Chena Hot Springs is a hot spring, resort, and community in the Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska, United States, 56.5 miles northeast of Fairbanks near the Chena River State Recreation Area...
, with Palin dressed in a fur hat and coat and played a mother-nature-type role of melting the ice.
Memoir
In June 2011, Palin released a memoir, co-written with Nancy French, entitled Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far, in which she candidly discusses aspects of her personal life, including tensions with the McCain family and losing her virginity. The book has received mixed reviews from critics and readers alike, many of them criticizing her for releasing a memoir at only 20 years old. The book appeared briefly on the New York Times bestseller lists in July 2011.2008 Republican National Convention and pregnancy announcement
When Sarah Palin was chosen as John McCainJohn McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
's vice presidential running mate
Running mate
A running mate is a person running together with another person on a joint ticket during an election. The term is most often used in reference to the person in the subordinate position but can also properly be used when referring to both candidates, such as "Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen were...
in late August 2008, his advisers already knew of Bristol's pregnancy, which they believed would be a political liability. On September 1, the opening day of the 2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
The United States 2008 Republican National Convention took place at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, from September 1, through September 4, 2008...
, it was publicly announced that Palin was pregnant and engaged to Johnston, the father of her unborn child. Palin's entire family, along with Johnston, appeared at the convention. McCain's advisers reportedly thought a wedding between Johnston and Palin would boost the waning popularity of the McCain-Palin ticket. Johnston denied claims that he was being pressured into a shotgun wedding, stating, "We were planning on getting married a long time ago with or without the kid. That was the plan from the start."
Motherhood
Palin and Johnston's son, Tripp Easton Mitchell Johnston, was born in 2008. She denied claims that her mother's pro life views influenced her decision to give birth to and raise her child, stating, "It doesn't matter what my mom's views are on it. It was my decision."Palin and Johnston broke off their engagement in March 2009. In November 2009, a custody and child support case was filed in a local Alaska court. Palin asked the court to use pseudonyms for herself and Johnston to keep the normally public proceedings private, arguing that the media attention would not be good for the child. Johnston argued for open proceedings, saying he wanted the case to be decided on the merits, and that he did "not feel protected against Sarah Palin in a closed proceeding." In December 2009, on Tripp's first birthday, the judge ruled in favor of Johnston, and it was publicly announced that the pair had been battling for legal custody. Palin, who wished to win full custody rights and child support consistent with Johnston's income, stated that Johnston had "exercised sporadic visitation rights" and "wants the rights for his own self-promotion". Johnston sought shared custody and lower child support payments. In February 2010 a judge ruled that Johnston had to pay back child support, with a hearing set to determine the amount of ongoing support payments.
That month, Palin and her son began living in a condo she had purchased in Anchorage, where she was working at a dermatologist's office and taking business courses at a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
. In July 2010, Palin and Johnston announced that they had reunited and were again engaged, but less than three weeks later, they ended their second engagement.
In August 2010 she moved out of the condo and returned to her parents' home, and the couple reached an agreement giving primary custody to Palin and visitation rights and child support responsibility to Johnston. In December 2010, Palin purchased a five-bedroom house in Maricopa, Arizona
Maricopa, Arizona
-Surrounding Municipalities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 43,482 people, 14,359 households, and 11,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.8 people per square mile . There were 17,240 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile...
, a suburb of Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
, for $172,000 in cash, according to Pinal County
Pinal County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.4% White*4.6% Black*5.6% Native American*1.7% Asian*0.4% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*3.8% Two or more races*11.5% Other races*28.5% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
property records.