A judge in New York has rejected an attempt by The New York Times and Gannett to unseal records from Donald Trump Donald TrumpFive takeaways from New Hampshire Senate debate Trump losing cash race in final weeks Vulnerable GOP senator questions opponent's American heritage MORE’s divorce from his first wife, Ivana, according to Politico. 
 
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 In his ruling, Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Frank Nervo said he was not convinced by the media companies’ argument that the records would be necessary to vet Trump’s fitness the be president of the United States. 
 
 "Were the court to make the confidential records available for journalistic, and thus public, scrutiny, it would impermissibly inject itself into the political process by making the value judgment of what information is useful in determining the present candidate's, or any other candidate's, fitness for office," the judge wrote. 
 
 "The court's role in the electoral process is strictly limited to determining whether a candidate complies with the Election Law. The court will not take an action that exceeds that limitation." 
 
 Nervo also wrote that Ivana Trump has a right to privacy as a private citizen, even if he had decided that the candidate did not. 
 
 The two were granted a divorce in 1991 due to “cruel and inhuman treatment.” 
 
 Both had opposed the request to unseal the records. 
 
 "We are pleased with the Court's well-reasoned decision and order," said Marc Kasowitz, Trump’s attorney. 
 
 Gannett and the Times have not reached a decision about whether to appeal, according to their lawyer. ||||| Donald Trump and then-wife, Ivana, pose aboard their yacht in New York City on July 4, 1988. | AP Photo Judge rejects New York Times request to unseal Trump divorce file 
 
 A New York judge has rejected a media request to make public the contents of a 25-year-old court file on Donald Trump's divorce from wife Ivana, saying the courts have no business deciding what information could be useful to voters. 
 
 The New York Times and the Gannett newspaper chain filed a motion to unseal the records, arguing the move was needed to contribute to public debate over the real estate mogul and Republican nominee's fitness for the presidency. 
 
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 Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Frank Nervo rejected that argument in a ruling released Thursday. 
 
 "Were the court to make the confidential records available for journalistic, and thus public, scrutiny, it would impermissibly inject itself into the political process by making the value judgment of what information is useful in determining the present candidate's, or any other candidate's, fitness for office," Nervo wrote. "The court's role in the electoral process is strictly limited to determining whether a candidate complies with the Election Law. The court will not take an action that exceeds that limitation." 
 
 Earlier this month, lawyers for both Donald and Ivana Trump filed legal papers opposing the unsealing. 
 
 The GOP presidential nominee argued that New York's legislature has put divorce files off-limits in most circumstances. 
 
 His ex-wife agreed, but also contended that since she is not running for office, she should not have to sacrifice her privacy even if the court found an enhanced interest in her husband's actions. Her submission to the court noted published reports alleging that she claimed during the divorce that he had raped her. However, Ivana Trump's brief said that was not her view and dismissed those reports as "previous misinterpreted statements and allegations.” 
 
 The judge agreed with Ivana Trump that there was no reason to intrude on her privacy. 
 
 "The court is obviously aware that one of the parties, who opposes this motion, is a presidential candidate. The court is also aware that the other party, who also opposes this application, is not seeking public office," Nervo wrote. "If the court were to deprive the candidate party of his rights...on the ground that there may be something in the confidential file that would be useful in determining his fitness for office, that ground does not exist in the case of his former wife, who is not a candidate." 
 
 A lawyer for the news outlets, David Schulz, said no immediate decision had been made about whether to appeal. 
 
 "We are pleased with the Court's well-reasoned decision and order," Trump lawyer Marc Kasowitz said. 
 
 Nervo's conclusion that judges shouldn't try to judge information's utility to voters is not universally shared on the bench. 
 
 Several judges handling federal Freedom of Information Act lawsuits seeking information about Hillary Clinton's tenure as secretary of state have cited the upcoming election as a reason to speed release of records held by the State Department.
– A New York judge refused Thursday to let his court "inject itself into the political process" and turned down a media request to unseal the divorce file of Donald Trump and first wife Ivana, Politico reports. The New York Times and the Gannett Co. had tried to gain access to the 25-year-old file in case there was info that could prove useful to voters in determining Trump's fitness for the presidency. "The court's role in the electoral process is strictly limited to determining whether a candidate complies with the Election Law," wrote Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Frank Nervo in his decision. What apparently proved compelling to the court: filings by both Ivana Trump's and Donald Trump's lawyers earlier this month that sought to block any opening of files on their 1991 divorce, in which Ivana cited "cruel and inhuman treatment" in her filing, per the Hill. Nervo wrote in his decision that although Donald Trump is running for president, Ivana isn't, and so even if there's something to be found on Donald in the file that voters might be interested in, that doesn't justify infringing on Ivana's privacy.