Wisconsin Appeals Court Won’t Stop Musk’s $1 Million Payments To Voters After Attorney General Sues | EUROtoday

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin appellate court docket denied the state Democratic legal professional basic’s request to cease billionaire Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks to 2 voters at a rally deliberate for Sunday, simply two days earlier than a carefully contested Supreme Court election.

The denial Saturday by the Wisconsin court docket of appeals is the most recent twist in Musk’s deep involvement within the race, which has set a report for spending in a judicial election and has grow to be a litmus check for the opening months of Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump and Musk are backing Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel within the race, whereas Democrats are behind Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.

Attorney General Josh Kaul filed the lawsuit Friday, arguing that Musk’s provide violates the legislation. Kaul on Saturday later appealed to the state Court of Appeals, after a county court docket decide refused earlier within the day to listen to the request for an emergency injunction to dam the funds.

Musk plans a rally Sunday the place he intends to provide a pair of Wisconsin voters $1 million every for signing a web-based petition in opposition to “activist” judges. He can be providing $100 to anybody who indicators it; he beforehand gave $1 million to a Green Bay man who signed.

Musk and teams he funds have poured greater than $20 million into the race, whereas Democratic megadonors, together with George Soros, again Crawford. The race will decide ideological management of the court docket. Liberals at the moment maintain a 4-3 majority however a retirement this yr places the bulk in play. The election concludes Tuesday.

Kaul argued Musk’s promised funds violated a state legislation making it a felony to provide voters something of worth in trade for them voting.

Musk’s political motion committee used a virtually similar tactic earlier than the presidential election final yr, providing to pay $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and 6 different battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. A decide in Pennsylvania mentioned prosecutors failed to indicate the trouble was an unlawful lottery and allowed it to proceed by way of Election Day.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court race comes because the court docket is predicted to rule on abortion rights, congressional redistricting, union energy and voting guidelines that might have an effect on the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election.

Musk initially mentioned in a put up on his social media platform, X, that he deliberate to “personally hand over” $2 million to a pair of voters who’ve already solid their ballots within the race. Kaul requested the court docket to order Musk to cease selling the Sunday giveaway and to not make any future funds to Wisconsin voters.

Even although Musk’s preliminary put up was deleted, there was no announcement that the funds is not going to be made, Kaul argued within the lawsuit.

Associated Press author Scott Bauer contributed to this report.