Joe the Plumber database search controversy

Controversial Ohio database searches of Joe Wurzelbacher occurred during the last few weeks of the 2008 US Presidential election campaign, when Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) employees, and Ohio officials, became embroiled in a controversy over searches of Joe Wurzelbacher's government records after he came to national attention as "Joe the Plumber." The matter led to substantial news media attention during the presidential campaign, a new law being signed in Ohio, and a federal civil rights lawsuit which was dismissed on August 4, 2010, on grounds that the privacy violation did not amount to a constitutional violation of the right to privacy.^{[1] [2][3][4]}