This is how Obama got elected Senator.
They illegally got and disseminated divorce records of his Republican opponent.
Obama’d be nothing today if not for that.
(Of course the Republicans never should have put up such a low life as their candidate, but that’s a separate issue).
Actually, this was the 2nd time that Obama used the court system and divorce records to remove an opponent. In the Democrat Primary for the 2004 US Senate race, Blair Hull, a wealthy businessman, looked to be leading but rumors of wife abuse with his ex getting an 'order of protection', caused a media storm, ably aided by ex Chicago Tribune staffer, David Axelrod. 18 days before the primary, Hull and his ex-wife unsealed the record to find him admitting to kicking her shins when she kicked his leg. He ended in 3rd place at 10% of vote.
Next was Chicago businessman and financier, Jack Ryan, winner of the GOP Primary and ex-husband of TV Star, Jerri Ryan, aka "7 of 9" on Star Trek:Voyager. Married from 1991 to 1999 with a son, their divorce records in California were sealed and when the pressure from the unbiased media built, they mutually agreed to open the divorce decree but not the custody and statement records as that could be damaging to their son. This time, it was a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Robert Schnider, who opened the records for the media. The dirt was that Jerri Ryan had accused her husband of asking her to do public sex at several sex clubs. This was countering his accusation of having an affair but it was this story that made all of the news outlets. Jack Ryan dropped out of the race days later.