Divorce pleadings and court transcripts are usually readily available to the public, unless otherwise sealed by order of the court. Thus, if you are curious about the outcome of someone’s divorce, you can locate said person’s divorce records and scour the pages for details and dirt. Why should you care if the public has access to your divorce files, and how could it effect your life? Well, I guess it depends. If you are an open book who loves to share life’s highs and lows with everyone, you probably don’t care and may not be effected. If on the other hand you have great hopes of becoming a public figure, like an elected politician, you should care because the contents of your divorce records could dash your electoral dreams like they did for Blair Hull and Jack Ryan.

According to The Swamp - Tribune’s Washington Bureau, U.S. Senatorial candidates Blair Hull, a wealthy Chicago futures trader, and Jack Ryan, had their senatorial hopes dashed when their divorce records revealed Blair Hull’s “wife’s claim that he had once threatened to kill her,” and that Jack Ryan had “once tried to force his former wife to go with him to sex clubs in Paris.”

So, the moral of this tip? Button your lip and avoid making explicit comments about your marriage in writing or on the stand, otherwise your political career could come to an embarrassing end and open the door for a real star!

This article is not legal advice. You should consult an attorney if you have legal questions that relate to your specific divorce.