California Supreme Court Pauses Sheriff’s Ballot-Seizure Probe

The California Supreme Court ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to pause his investigation into a November 2025 ballot seizure and preserve all seized materials while a legal challenge to the seizure is reviewed. The order came after the state attorney general argued the sheriff lacked authority over election materials, and a voting-rights group joined the challenge. Bianco, a gubernatorial candidate, had previously seized thousands of ballot-related boxes, prompting scrutiny of the probe as litigation proceeds.