The California Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco broke state election laws by ordering deputies to seize over 650,000 ballots from a special election tied to Proposition 50. The court ordered Bianco to stop his investigation into claims of election fraud and to return the ballots to county officials. The justices emphasized that Bianco must "refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with our order." The court ruled against Bianco in two separate cases, citing both his unlawful seizure of the ballots and his disregard for directives from California Attorney General Rob Bonta. Proposition 50 was a special election in which voters approved a redistricting measure that shifted five of California's Republican U.S. House seats to be more favorable to Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections. Bianco, who previously ran for governor but lost in the primaries, claimed he was investigating a complaint from a local group that alleged a discrepancy of about 45,800 votes reported to the California Secretary of State. He described the probe as a "fact-finding mission." However, county elections officials disputed his claim, stating that the difference between the machine count and the final count submitted to the state was only about 100 votes. Bianco's investigation faced significant backlash, including legal challenges from California Attorney General Rob Bonta, UCLA's Voting Rights Project, and local leaders in Riverside who petitioned for the ballots to be returned to the Registrar's Office. The Riverside County Registrar of Voters stated that it would continue to follow all lawful court orders and legal obligations related to election materials. In late March, Bianco announced that he would pause his investigation "because of the politically motivated lawsuits and court filings." The state Supreme Court later issued a formal order to halt the probe in April, and the ballots were held in an undisclosed location during the legal proceedings. Bianco has previously echoed claims of election fraud made by former President Donald Trump during the 2020 election. In a podcast appearance in October 2025, he asserted that "we absolutely know there was fraud" and claimed that "mail-in ballots are purposely designed for fraud." He repeated these claims during court arguments, calling the investigation about "corruption in California." Bianco also challenged the authority of the Attorney General, stating, "There's not one state constitution that allows for an individual to stop a lawful investigation into a crime." The court also ruled that Bianco violated directives from Attorney General Rob Bonta by refusing to pause his investigation. Bonta expressed gratitude for the court's decision, stating that it affirmed his authority to oversee county sheriffs in the public interest. Meanwhile, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former state attorney general Xavier Becerra is associated with UCLA's Voting Rights Project, which played a role in challenging Bianco's actions. In response to the court's ruling, Governor Gavin Newsom signed a set of new laws aimed at preventing the seizure of ballots. Newsom emphasized that California is committed to defending democracy and ensuring that every vote is counted and protected.