Shasta County is facing a lawsuit from two news organizations after officials there refused to turn over a copy of a federal grand jury subpoena tied to a dispute over the integrity of the county’s June 2026 primary election.
CalMatters and Shasta Scout filed the suit Friday in Shasta County Superior Court, represented by attorneys with the First Amendment Coalition. The news outlets argue the county is violating the California Public Records Act by withholding the document, which was reportedly issued to the county’s elections office amid questions raised by its own outgoing registrar.
County representatives could not be reached for comment over the weekend despite phone calls and emails seeking a response.
“Transparency should be the default setting for every public official,” said John D’Anna, managing editor at CalMatters. “Citizens shouldn’t have to file suit to get their government to obey the law.”
The controversy traces back to the aftermath of the June primary, when Shasta County Registrar of Voters Clint Curtis began publicly questioning whether something was amiss with the county’s ballots, claiming some looked, felt and even smelled unusual. Curtis, who was seeking reelection at the time, ultimately lost his bid to Joanna Francescut, a former elections official in the county.
Curtis later said he took steps to preserve the ballots as evidence, including padlocking the room where they were stored and then discarding the key. In September, he told reporters he had received a federal grand jury subpoena connected to the ballots, and that FBI agents subsequently came to examine the storage area.
“I just showed them what we had,” Curtis told CalMatters at the time. “The FBI never says anything to you, by the way… it’s information in and nothing out.”
In an effort to understand the scope of the federal inquiry, both news organizations requested a copy of the subpoena under the state’s public records law, reasoning that the document would reveal exactly what investigators are looking into. The county denied the request, claiming the subpoena was protected from disclosure under federal law.
The lawsuit disputes that interpretation, arguing that the cited federal rule only bars courts from sealing their own subpoena records and does not prohibit a county agency from releasing a copy it received. As a result, attorneys contend, Shasta County is improperly withholding public records in violation of state law.
“Clint Curtis has embroiled Shasta County’s elections office in turmoil, conspiracy, and allegations of misconduct,” said Annelise Pierce, managing editor of Shasta Scout. “The people have a right to know what a federal grand jury seeks from our top election official.”
The suit also points out that at least eight other California counties — including Fresno, Imperial, Los Angeles, Orange and San Bernardino — have already released copies of similar federal subpoenas sent to their own election offices. Those subpoenas are reportedly part of a broader push under the Trump administration to investigate claims of noncitizens voting illegally ahead of the midterm elections.
David Loy, legal director for the First Amendment Coalition, said the public deserves to know whether the federal investigation into Shasta County’s election process is grounded in legitimate evidence or is instead fueling unfounded doubts about the reliability of the state’s voting system.
“The county must disclose the subpoena so the people can see for themselves whether the grand jury investigation has any valid basis or is improperly contributing to unwarranted distrust in the integrity of elections,” Loy said.
Original source: CalMatters
