Sarah Palin Accused of 'Emotional Child Abuse'

Newsweek reports a judge warned Sarah Palin and her relatives in writing against smearing her ex-brother-in-law, Alaska state trooper Michael Wooten:

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."....

"It is the mother's [Hackett's] responsibility to set boundaries for her relatives and insure [sic] they respect them, and the disparagement by either parent, or their surrogates is emotional child abuse," Judge Suddock wrote....

As Josh Marshall explains, this warning before Palin became Governor makes it more likely that her behavior as Governor (which is now under investigation) was a personal vendetta:

Remember that Palin's Trooper-Gate scandal revolves around her apparent efforts to use her power as governor to have her ex-brother-in-law, an Alaska state trooper, fired from his job. The trooper, Michael Wooten, was in a long-lasting and bitter divorce and custody battle with Palin's sister. (Once the state Commissioner of Public Safety, Wooten's ultimate boss, wouldn't do the deed, she fired him.)

Now it comes out that before she even became governor -- and was in a position to abuse her power of office -- Palin had to be warned by the judge in the divorce case that her harassment of Wooten amounted to "a form of child abuse."

If her behavior was so abusive and over-the-line before she became governor (this was in 2005), can there really be much doubt she would have used all her power of office to get him fired?