California Supreme Court

California's state Supreme Court has ruled that a county sheriff violated election law by seizing ballots. The decision establishes that the sheriff's actions during an election investigation were unlawful, and it is drawing attention to the limits of law enforcement authority over election materials in the state.

The California Supreme Court has ordered the Riverside County sheriff to return roughly 650,000 ballots that were seized during an investigation into the November 2022 election in the city of Murrieta. The ruling hands the ballots back to local election officials, sharply limiting the sheriff's ability to keep pursuing claims of voter fraud in that race.

The California Supreme Court has ruled that a county sheriff acted illegally when he seized roughly 650,000 ballots, and has ordered that they be returned. The decision is being covered internationally, including in Ukrainian-language media, and is expected to intensify debate over election security, law enforcement authority, and the handling of ballots in a US election.

The US Supreme Court has issued a ruling concerning a Department of Homeland Security voter database, and officials say it will have no impact on California's 2026 general election. The decision clarifies how federal data access rules apply to states, but California's voting procedures for 2026 remain unchanged, according to local reporting in Lassen County.