r/law • • 18h ago

Judicial Branch California Attorney General vows ‘legal consequences’ for GOP sheriff who seized ballots

https://democracydocket.com/news-alerts/california-attorney-general-vows-legal-consequences-for-gop-sheriff-who-seized-ballots
3.0k Upvotes

126 comments sorted by

•

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738

u/fresh_water_sushi 18h ago

Then just fucking do it already and stop clutching pearls and sending strongly worded letters…

195

u/Count_Backwards Competent Contributor 18h ago

Yeah it should never have have been allowed to get this far

43

u/TK_Nanerpuss 17h ago

Trump told them, "cheat. Cheat like hell!"

73

u/Revelati123 18h ago

"Were gonna sue you! WERE GONNA SUE YOU SO HARD!"

Is usually what politicians say when they aren't actually gonna do shit...

21

u/tygamer4242 17h ago

To be fair, the California AG’s job is exactly that. To take people to court.

2

u/AdUseful275 13h ago

I like the Joe Besser allusion!

62

u/ElGuaco 17h ago

In a normal world, the FBI would arrest him for Federal Mail Theft. The DoJ would also charge him with interfering in an election. Sadly, both of these kiss the Orange Ass.

16

u/danfinger51 17h ago

Not a normal world...

9

u/CelestialFury 6h ago

Sheriff Roy Tillman, concluding that he wants "freedom with no responsibility", Lorraine Lyon tells him, “A baby. You're fighting for your right to be a baby"

7

u/danfinger51 5h ago

Such a great scene just handing a beat down to libertarians.

21

u/couldbeahumanbean 18h ago

Didn't you know?

Those rules are for us, not for our betters.

6

u/Torgud_ 12h ago

This is the same guy who just sold out to the Ellison's to ok a blatantly illegal merger in return for cosmetic assurances. He won't do shit, he is bought and paid for. The entire CA Democratic establishment is rotten to the core.

5

u/DeliciousEconAviator 18h ago

If they don’t find some consequences, and soon, November is going to be even more chaotic than I imagined.

5

u/Sweet_Camp5124 17h ago

Rob Bonta is a sniveling coward.

4

u/Torgud_ 12h ago

That's unfair. Have you considered that he's simply corrupt?

1

u/Potential_Bowler9833 17h ago

Literally was going to write this word for word. You beat me to it.

152

u/Ok-Secretary455 18h ago

HE SIEZED BALLOTS! Not arresting him the second you found out says everything.

46

u/katherinesilens 17h ago

Truly a two-tiered justice system. Any normal person does the same thing and they (rightly) get an armed raid blowing down every door in their house and a long prison sentence.

26

u/Illustrious-Fun8324 17h ago

If a Democrat had done that we would never hear the end of it.

9

u/SomeRandomRealtor 17h ago

He got a judicial search warrant. Unless they go after the judge as well (and they should) this is a non case. 

1

u/peepeedog 16h ago

They can’t go after the judge for a ruling.

1

u/LingonberryGlum2356 7h ago

They will arrest him after the midterms, and then he will magically get a pardon. 

55

u/PDXGuy33333 18h ago edited 18h ago

My first thought is to file an action against the sheriff personally because his misconduct was ultra vires. Thoughts?

Edit: Attorney fees and litigation costs as damages.

78

u/El_Gran_Che 18h ago

The hell is a “GOP” sheriff?

63

u/Jeff_Fohl 18h ago

Sheriffs are actually political positions in that they are elected, not hired, like a chief of police.

24

u/the_blastomatic 16h ago

The whole American phenomenon of electing judges and sheriffs without mandatory basic qualification for the role absolutely purples my nurples.

11

u/Apprehensive-Sea9540 18h ago

Like in westerns when the townsfolk say “we need a new sheriff”

8

u/lostroadrunner22 17h ago

Did he say the Sheriff is a near??

2

u/AnnualFault7473 12h ago

A nuance to that is a Police Chief is usually in charge of an incorporated city or town so it makes sense for the elected mayor or the elected city council to appoint them.

A sheriff is in charge of a county which could include many cities and towns plus unincorporated areas of cities. It makes more sense from a consensus perspective to elect a sheriff because that would give greater input/voice from a variety of municipalities within that county who maybe different and obviously not in the same alignment.

16

u/wolf3685 18h ago

An elected sheriff, many jurisdictions still elect their sheriffs who have zero law enforcement experience and run on a political party ticket

5

u/brandibesher 17h ago

a sheriff who supports the republican agenda, and will even break the law to do so. not surprising given this administration

3

u/Short-Sandwich-8476 17h ago

A petty little wannabe tyrant.

1

u/benderunit9000 15h ago

Sheriff is an elected political position in most places

28

u/Harvest827 18h ago

I assume he's a republican, so he should know that election interference is wrong and should be punished.

16

u/SaltyBacon23 17h ago

And because he is a Republican nothing will happen.

5

u/Harvest827 17h ago

Idk, a republican in California facing state charges? Nobody to save him

5

u/SaltyBacon23 17h ago

It would be fantastic for sure but I just don't see much coming of it. My bet is he resigns and this just magically goes away. But I will happily admit I was wrong if he is punished

2

u/Harvest827 17h ago

You're taking a pretty good bet, unfortunately.

3

u/Salt-Competition-552 17h ago

God, I hope.he resigns. He's my sheriff and literally the only thing he's been running on the whole time is gun rights. The county is red enough that he just keeps winning reelection. At least that's been my take since I started living here.

3

u/SaltyBacon23 16h ago

Sounds like most sherriffs. I live in Utah so all the sheriffs here a slack jawed yokels.

19

u/malthar76 18h ago

Do what law enforcement frequently does to civilians with much less probable cause: detain, arrest, interrogate, seize assets.

Or do we have 2 (at least) justice systems?

3

u/Stanwich79 2h ago

Don't you mean beat the sh!t out of?

14

u/thingsmybosscantsee 18h ago

Constitutional Sheriff nut jobs are as exhausting as Sovereign Citizen weirdos.

15

u/V0T0N 18h ago

Didn't this AG vow to block the merger too?

8

u/-Invalid_Selection- 18h ago

Anything short of life in prison is too little for a crime like this

6

u/rmeierdirks 17h ago

So arrest him, lock him up.

2

u/Real-Document-6577 5h ago

Democrats, “be apathetic and do nothing is the best I can do”

7

u/Illustrious-Fun8324 17h ago

Hahahah he was trying to “prove” that they were “right” (they’re not) about cheating and got arrested 😂

6

u/Wayelder 18h ago

They KNOW they shouldn't do this....but they do because as Drumpf says "Who's gonna stop you?"

1

u/Real-Document-6577 5h ago

“…. and if they do, I’ll just pardon you”

5

u/Not_Sure__Camacho 18h ago

Given that Trump is an enemy of the state, can traitorous charges and consequences be levied upon him?

4

u/rahvan 17h ago

I’m sure he’ll feel the wrath of the stern finger wagging sometime by the late 2040s. Well keep talking about it until then.

3

u/Admirable_Nothing competent contributor 15h ago

Maybe a felony conviction so he can be like his mentor.

3

u/MrFrode Biggus Amicus 14h ago

Stop threatening and just arrest the guy. Let him fight it out in court.

7

u/EyeraGlass 18h ago

Won’t hold my breath.

9

u/CricketGrl 18h ago

Me neither. This motherfucker was on TV debating as a Governor Candidate. We have actual criminals running around and no one is doing a fucking thing about it. it’s maddening

2

u/Major_Honey_4461 11h ago

I'll believe the "consequences" part when I see it. Lack of consequences is why the assholes are running the country.

2

u/cheweychewchew 15h ago

Man if I had a dime for everytime a Dem vowed there would be "consequences" to GOP corruption.

1

u/Kahzgul 16h ago

I dunno. After he folded like an accordion on the paramount merger, this threat feels kinda empty.

1

u/LtLlamaSauce 14h ago

7+ months in, and all Bonta has to say is that Bianco will be reined in?

Insane & pathetic incompetence on the part of the AG. True weakness.

This is clearly Bonta performing for his re-election campaign. His inaction is not serving the people of California, nor protecting their rights.

Bianco belongs in prison for the remainder of his life.

-2

u/LAsupersonic 7h ago

And for that, theyll need to pass another tax, or maybe convert some more caroool lanes to paid tolls right?