The California Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco to pause his investigation into alleged election fraud while the court reviews legal challenges to his ballot seizure.

Bianco, who is running for governor as a Republican candidate, seized more than 650,000 ballots and 1,426 boxes of election materials related to a November 2025 special election on redistricting. The investigation began in February after a local citizens group filed a complaint about the ballot count.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta, a Democrat, requested the court intervention last month, arguing that the sheriff lacks authority over election materials. Local election officials had previously told the county Board of Supervisors that the complaint was unfounded. A voting rights group has also filed a legal challenge to the ballot seizure.

The dispute escalated when Bianco continued seizing additional ballot boxes even after Bonta ordered him to halt the investigation. Bianco had defended his actions, stating that his investigation was approved by a county judge. He indicated last week that he would pause the probe due to mounting legal challenges.

Bonta said the court order was necessary to stop what he characterized as destabilizing actions. The attorney general's office expressed concern about the disruption to election procedures and the chain of custody for ballot materials.

Bianco's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Supreme Court order. The court will review the legal challenges while the investigation remains paused.