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MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin justice connected Saturday declined to halt billionaire Elon Musk from handing implicit $1 cardinal checks to 2 voters successful the authorities astatine a planned rally days earlier the intimately contested Supreme Court election. The authorities lawyer general, who argues that the connection violates the law, instantly appealed aft the justice refused to perceive the petition for an exigency injunction to artifact the payments.
The ruling is the latest twist successful Musk’s heavy engagement successful the race, which has acceptable a grounds for spending successful a judicial predetermination and has go a litmus trial for the opening months of Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump and Musk are backing Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel successful the race, portion Democrats are down Dane County Judge Susan Crawford.
Musk plans a rally Sunday wherever helium intends to springiness a brace of Wisconsin voters $1 cardinal each for signing an online petition against “activist” judges. He is besides offering $100 to anyone who signs it; helium antecedently gave $1 cardinal to a Green Bay antheral who signed.
Musk and groups helium funds person poured much than $20 cardinal into the race, portion Democratic megadonors, including George Soros, backmost Crawford. The contention volition find ideological power of the court. Liberals presently clasp a 4-3 bulk but a status this twelvemonth puts the bulk successful play. The predetermination concludes Tuesday.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, sued connected Friday to halt the payments from Musk’s America PAC, arguing they violated a authorities instrumentality making it a felony to springiness voters thing of worth successful speech for them voting.
After being turned down by Columbia County Circuit Judge Andrew Voigt, Kaul said helium was going to the authorities Court of Appeals.
Musk’s governmental enactment committee utilized a astir identical maneuver earlier the statesmanlike predetermination past year, offering to wage $1 cardinal a time to voters successful Wisconsin and six different battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. A justice successful Pennsylvania said prosecutors failed to amusement the effort was an amerciable lottery and allowed it to proceed done Election Day.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court contention comes arsenic the tribunal is expected to regularisation connected termination rights, legislature redistricting, national powerfulness and voting rules that could impact the 2026 midterms and the 2028 statesmanlike election.
Musk initially said successful a station connected his societal media platform, X, that helium planned to “personally manus over” $2 cardinal to a brace of voters who person already formed their ballots successful the race. Kaul asked the tribunal to bid Musk to halt promoting the Sunday giveaway and to not marque immoderate aboriginal payments to Wisconsin voters.
Even though Musk’s archetypal station was deleted, determination has been nary announcement that the payments volition not beryllium made, Kaul argued successful the lawsuit.
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Associated Press writer Scott Bauer contributed to this report.
