SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) 鈥� The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered a county sheriff who to pause his probe into election fraud allegations while the judges review the legal challenge against it.
The order came after California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, last month , arguing the sheriff has no authority over election materials. A voting rights group is also challenging the ballot seizure.
The dispute started earlier this year and escalated last month when Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to investigate a complaint from a local citizens group about the ballot count from a November 2025 special election on . Local election officials told the county Board of Supervisors that the complaint was unfounded. After Bonta ordered Bianco to halt his probe, the sheriff seized another 426 boxes of ballots.
Bianco and his office 鈥渁re hereby ordered to pause the investigation into the November 2025 special election and preserve all seized items,鈥� the order reads.
Bonta said the Wednesday order is essential to stop the sheriff鈥檚 probe.
鈥淲hat the Sheriff says and what he does are often two different things,鈥� Bonta said in a statement. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 decision by the California Supreme Court reins in the destabilizing actions of a rogue Sheriff, prohibiting him from continuing this investigation while our litigation continues.鈥�
Bianco鈥檚 office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bianco is also one of two prominent Republican gubernatorial candidates in the state. He previously defended his investigation, noting it was approved by a county judge. The sheriff last week said he鈥檚 because of mounting legal challenges.
The ballot investigation came as President Donald Trump has repeatedly disputed the results of the 2020 election, citing unsubstantiated instances of fraud. His administration recently from an election office in Georgia. Some Republicans have mirrored Trump鈥檚 rhetoric on voting in their states.
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
