USA24 September, 20262 min read
California Supreme Court Orders Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco To Return 650,000 Seized Ballots
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California Supreme Court ruled Bianco violated state election law by seizing about 650,000 ballots. Ballots seized for unfounded voter-fraud probe in November 2025 special election.
17 outlets told this the same way.
Ballots seized, court rules
The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco violated state election law when his office seized more than 650,000 ballots from the Riverside County registrar, and the justices ordered him to return the ballots and “refrain from further handling” them. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero wrote that “Bianco’s arguments fail to persuade us” to interpret California election law in a way that would allow voted ballots to leave the custody of elections officials. The court also ruled that Bianco broke the law when he ignored directives from Attorney General Rob Bonta to hold off on plans to execute a search warrant to seize the ballots last March.
The rulings came as the dispute over the November midterm election that will determine who controls Congress in President Trump’s final two years in office drew attention to election administration and ballot custody in California. Bianco told supporters he was considering options to appeal, including to federal courts, after the court’s Thursday rulings.
Bonta’s authority upheld
Attorney General Rob Bonta said the rulings affirmed his authority to supervise sheriffs, calling it an “important constitutional safety valve.”
Bonta also said Bianco’s actions created a “constitutional crisis” and that the sheriff’s conduct was “deceitful” and “duplicitous” throughout the process.
Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero said the court held separately that Bianco must comply with Bonta’s directives to shut down the investigation, rejecting the sheriff’s notion that Bonta’s authority applies only when a law enforcement official fails to act.
Chad Dunn, legal director and co-founder of the UCLA Voting Rights Project, said “These are the voters’ ballots. They must be protected through the processes the Legislature has established.”
Bianco argued in court that he had probable cause of election fraud and that the probe was a lawful criminal investigation supported by judicially authorized warrants.
Midterms and new protections
Gov. Gavin Newsom said the California Supreme Court ruling shows California “will defend democracy,” and he said new laws he signed add protections so “attacks like this cannot happen again.”
The California State Portal said Newsom released a statement that the court determined “that the seizure of the ballots was unlawful,” and it tied the decision to the 2025 special election for Proposition 50.
The court ordered Bianco to cease his investigation into election fraud claims and return the ballots to county officials, and it also said he must “refrain from further handling” except as necessary to comply with the order.
The ruling also set the stage for the November midterm election, with CalMatters describing the case as a potential playbook for other right-wing law enforcement officers hoping to upset the outcome.
Democratic leaders and election advocates pointed to the court’s clarity on ballot custody and the attorney general’s supervisory role as the legal framework for election administration going into the midterms.