California Supreme Court Halts Sheriff’s Ballot Investigation
California Supreme Court rules against Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco’s election fraud probe, citing legal violations.
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The California Supreme Court has ruled against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco’s election fraud investigation, determining that his seizure of over 650,000 ballots was unlawful. The decision, issued on September 24, sides with the state’s far-left attorney general, Rob Bonta, who had sought to halt the probe.
Legal Battle Over Ballot Seizure
Earlier this year, the state’s Supreme Court ordered Bianco to pause his investigation and preserve the ballots he had seized, citing ongoing legal challenges. The court’s ruling this week confirmed that Bonta was within his rights to order the sheriff to stop the probe and comply with his directives.
Bianco, who ran for governor as a Republican, had initiated the investigation after a citizens’ group reported discrepancies in the November 2025 special election. He had moved to seize approximately 650,000 ballots and begin a recount, claiming that a team of 10 investigators had already started counting ballots before being ordered to halt their work.
According to Bianco, the initial progress suggested that counting the approximately 611,000 ballots would take about five days. However, the effort was paused before a full review could be conducted. Bianco had previously paused the investigation due to the legal challenges he faced.
Attorney General Slams Sheriff’s Actions
California Attorney General Rob Bonta criticized Bianco, stating that the sheriff’s actions were destabilizing and that the court’s decision was necessary to rein in his rogue behavior. Bonta had previously celebrated the state Supreme Court’s order to halt the investigation, calling out the sheriff for not aligning his actions with his statements.
The court also addressed another case filed by the UCLA Voting Rights Project, which demanded that the sheriff return the confiscated ballots to the registrar. As of Wednesday afternoon, the ballots remained in the sheriff’s custody, according to the spokesperson for Riverside County’s elections office.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
