California sheriff unlawfully seized ballots, state Supreme Court rules, tell me about this news in (https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/california-sheriff-unlawfully-seized-ballots-state-supreme-court-rules/ar-AA2cVhbb?ocid=BingNewsVerp)

The California Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco violated state election law when his office seized more than 650,000 ballots from the county registrar, ordering him to cease handling them and return all materials immediately.

Background of the Seizure

The case stems from Sheriff Chad Bianco ordering deputies to confiscate ballots and election records related to the November 2025 Proposition 50 special election. Bianco stated that his office was acting on a complaint from a local group alleging voter fraud and discrepancies in vote counts. The sheriff’s department executed a search warrant signed by a local judge to take custody of the ballots for an independent investigation and recount.

The Supreme Court’s Rulings

In twin unanimous decisions authored by Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero, the California Supreme Court rejected Bianco’s arguments across two major fronts:

1. Unlawful Custody of Ballots: The court held that California election law strictly requires voted ballots to remain in the custody of authorized election officials. Chief Justice Guerrero noted that allowing law enforcement unfettered, secretive access to ballots poses a substantial threat to election integrity, especially since the state election code already outlines clear, secure statutory procedures for examining or recounting ballots.

2. Defiance of State Authority: The justices also ruled that Bianco unlawfully ignored formal directives from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who had ordered the sheriff to pause the seizure and inquiry. The ruling reaffirmed the attorney general’s constitutional authority to supervise county sheriffs in matters of statewide legal significance.

Reactions and Legislative Response

• State Officials: Attorney General Rob Bonta praised the ruling for reaffirming state oversight and safeguarding election processes against unilateral local seizures. Following the incident, Governor Gavin Newsom signed legislation making it explicit and illegalpunishable as a felonyfor unauthorized parties to seize ballots, voting machines, or election materials before certification.

• Sheriff Bianco: Bianco strongly criticized the decision, arguing that it improperly restricts local law enforcement investigations and expands state control over elected county sheriffs. However, he confirmed he would comply with the court’s order to return the seized materials.