[killdozer]

Searching through a database of license plates to determine cause for a stop is plainly a warrantless search, SCOTUS is a dumpster who bend over backwards for LE but lets not pretend there's any merit to most of these decisions.

[recursive]

But it's not a search of the citizen. Presumably the owner of the database consents.

[anigbrowl]

Pulling over the vehicle to search it on that basis is a search of the individual.