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Riverside Superior Court Judge Dorothy McLaughlin granted California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s request for an expediting hearing schedule in his lawsuit against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, who is investigating how the county processed ballots in November’s statewide Proposition 50 election.

Lindsay Bailey, a lawyer with the attorney general’s office, argued that the case warranted the fast track, given that the ballots seized by the sheriff are no longer in the custody of Riverside County’s registrar of voters and that Bianco continues to defy Bonta’s lawful directives.

Bianco’s lawyer, Robert Tyler, countered that the case involves complex legal matters that merit examination beyond a rushed lawyer’s brief. He also noted the sheriff has put his investigation on hold pending the outcome of this case and other legal challenges.

Those cases include a lawsuit filed by Bonta in the California Supreme Court that seeks to halt the investigation. Another state Supreme Court case, filed by the UCLA Voting Rights Project, aims to return the ballots seized by Bianco’s office to the county registrar.

CBS Los Angeles asked Bianco's office for comment, and the department sent a statement Saturday morning.

"Shame on you, the media, for believing an attorney general with a history of lying, then repeating his lies. Shame on you for not watching or paying attention to our press conference," the statement said. "This is simple, we are counting ballots, not yes and no votes. This is not a recount, it is a count of ballots plain and simple. You, the media, are responsible for the 'media circus' with clickbait headlines and misleading twisted sensationalism. The only question you should be asking is why are Democrat politicians fighting this investigation so hard. It makes no sense."