Wisconsin’s attorney general is suing Elon Musk in order to stop his $2 million payout to voters who participated in the state’s Supreme Court election.
Democratic attorney general Josh Kaul filed the lawsuit on Friday and released a statement on Musk’s own X, writing, “We are aware of the offer recently posted by Elon Musk to award a million dollars to two people at an event in Wisconsin this weekend. Based on our understanding of applicable Wisconsin law, we intend to take legal action today to seek a court order to stop this from happening.”
Ahead of an event he will be holding in Wisconsin on Sunday, Musk announced that he would be giving away $1 million each to two people who had voted in the state’s Supreme Court election, “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.” He quickly backtracked in the face of suggestions that his offer may be illegal, deleting that post and replacing it with an offer to give $1 million to two people to be “spokesmen” for his super PAC’s petition against activist judges. Attendance to the event will be limited to those who have signed the petition.
Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, has spent more than $12 million on the race, in addition to Musk personally giving $3 million to the Wisconsin Republican Party. The super PAC has also made posts on social media offering $100 to registered Wisconsin voters who sign the petition which reads, in part, “By signing below, I’m rejecting the actions of activist judges who impose their own views and demanding a judiciary that respects its role—interpreting, not legislating.” Earlier this week, Musk announced that he was awarding $1 million to one Green Bay resident who signed the petition.
Following a similar legal challenge in Pennsylvania last year, a state judge ruled that Musk’s $1 million-a-day giveaways to the state’s voters could proceed, with Musk’s super PAC using the defense that it was awarding the money to those who would make the “best spokespeople” for its agenda.
Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election pits conservative Brad Schimel against liberal Susan Crawford for an empty seat that will determine partisan control of the state’s highest court. More than $81 million has been spent on the race, making it the most expensive judicial election in U.S. history.
