Madison Ahmet

At issue is whether a crime was committed to justify a judge signing off on the warrants.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, obtained them to investigate an alleged vote count discrepancy in a statewide election last year.

In that election, Californians voted to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats.

Bianco recently seized some 650,000 of those ballots.

Loyola Marymount law professor Justin Levitt says probable cause must be established to get a warrant, and that didn't happen.

The California Supreme Court has halted Bianco's investigation while it reviews the case.

For NPR News, I'm Madison Ahmet in San Bernardino.

At issue is whether a crime was committed to justify a judge signing off on the warrants.

Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a Republican, obtained them to investigate an alleged vote count discrepancy in a statewide election last year.

In that election, Californians voted to redraw the state's congressional map to favor Democrats.

Bianco recently seized some 650,000 of those ballots.

Loyola Marymount law professor Justin Levitt says probable cause must be established to get a warrant, and that didn't happen.

The California Supreme Court has halted Bianco's investigation while it reviews the case.

For NPR News, I'm Madison Ahmet in San Bernardino.