A Wisconsin judge made a controversial decision to allow billionaire Elon Musk to distribute $1 million checks to two voters in the state, setting the stage for a contentious legal battle just days before a pivotal Supreme Court election. The state attorney general swiftly appealed the ruling after the judge rejected the request for an emergency injunction to halt the payments.
Political Drama Unfolds
This ruling adds another layer of complexity to Musk’s significant involvement in the race, which has already broken spending records for a judicial election and become a focal point for assessing the early days of Donald Trump’s presidency. Both Trump and Musk have thrown their support behind Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel, while Democrats are rallying behind Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.
Musk has scheduled a rally where he plans to award two Wisconsin voters $1 million each for simply signing an online petition opposing what he terms as “activist” judges. Additionally, he is offering $100 to individuals who endorse the petition; in a prior instance, he bestowed $1 million upon a Green Bay resident who signed the document.
With Musk and affiliated groups channeling over $20 million into the electoral race, Democratic heavyweights like George Soros are backing Crawford. The outcome of the election will determine the ideological tilt of the court, with liberals currently holding a narrow 4-3 majority that hangs in the balance due to a retirement this year. The election is set to culminate on Tuesday.
Legal Wrangling
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, took legal action on Friday to block the payments from Musk’s America PAC, citing a state law that deems it a felony to offer voters anything of value in exchange for their votes.
Following the rejection of his plea by Columbia County Circuit Judge Andrew Voigt, Kaul indicated his intention to escalate the matter to the state Court of Appeals.
Musk’s political action committee had employed a similar strategy before the previous presidential election, pledging to remunerate voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states with $1 million per day if they supported certain constitutional amendments. A Pennsylvania judge ruled in favor of Musk’s PAC, allowing the initiative to continue unabated until Election Day.
Stakes and Implications
The Wisconsin Supreme Court race holds immense significance as the court is poised to rule on pivotal issues like abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union authority, and voting regulations that could reverberate through the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.
Initially, Musk had announced on his social media platform, X, his plan to personally bestow $2 million upon two voters who had already cast their ballots in the race. Kaul petitioned the court to compel Musk to cease promoting the upcoming giveaway and refrain from making any future payments to Wisconsin voters.
Despite the removal of Musk’s original post, there has been no confirmation that the payments will be withheld, as per Kaul’s assertions in the lawsuit.
