Government officials who rifle through your personal details held in government databases apparently should have little to fear in the way of punishment, according to a federal judge in Ohio.
U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley has dismissed a complaint brought against Ohio state officials who hunted for details about "Joe the Plumber" when the working man confronted then-candidate Barack Obama during his campaign for the presidency in 2008.
The civil-rights lawsuit was filed by Judicial Watch on behalf of Joe Wurzelbacher, aka "Joe the Plumber," against state officials who, reportedly in their pursuit of support for Obama, had state databases searched for information about Wurzelbacher.
However, Marbley dismissed the action, ruling there was no real damage to Wurzelbacher when officials searched police, social services and other databases for his details.
"The implications of this court decision are frightening," said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. "Essentially the court has said that government officials can feel free to rifle through the private files of citizens without fear of being held accountable in court."
He continued, "How can the American people feel comfortable exercising their First Amendment rights when they may be subject to secret searches by politicized bureaucrats in return? It is unconscionable that high-ranking state officials pried into confidential government files to punish Joe Wurzelbacher for asking a simple question.
"Justice was not served with this decision. Judicial Watch will most certainly file an appeal on behalf of Mr. Wurzelbacher," Fitton said.
The case alleged Ohio officials violated Wurzelbacher's constitutional rights by accessing – illegally – confidential information from the state's official archives of information.
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