FIRST LADY’S ATTORNEYS CHALLENGE SEALED COURT DOCUMENTS

Attorneys for Nevada first lady Dawn Gibbons are citing examples of why Gov. Jim Gibbons' bid to keep secret his divorce proceedings should be ruled unconstitutional.

In a motion filed Wednesday, Reno-based attorneys Calvin R. X.Dunlap and Monique Laxalt listed numerous high-profile divorce cases that were declared unconstitutional.

One of the examples in the motion was the case of California supermarket billionaire Ron Burkle, a former business partner of Bill Clinton.

Burkle's wife Janet won her challenge when a California court concluded that the First Amendment provides a right of access to court records in court proceedings.

The first lady's attorneys said the Nevada statute is similar to the California version that was declared unconstitional.

In court documents, Ron Burkle argued that the record should be sealed to keep his wife from publicizing his business affairs to the media, and to guarantee his "constitutional right of privacy."

Dunlap and Laxalt contend the order by Carson City District Judge Bill Maddox to seal the divorce court files should be declared "void and in violation" of the constitutional rights of the first lady.

Click here to read Dawn Gibbon's motion.

--NORM CLARKE, Vegas Confidential