Musk gives away $1m cheques ahead of Wisconsin's Supreme Court election

Elon Musk, the billionaire and CEO of Tesla, has recently made headlines by giving away two checks worth $1 million each to voters in Wisconsin. This generous act took place just before a crucial Supreme Court election in the state, which is set to occur on Tuesday. The Wisconsin Supreme Court had previously decided not to intervene in Musk's giveaway, despite concerns raised by Wisconsin's Attorney General, Josh Kaul, a Democrat. Kaul argued that Musk's actions were in violation of state laws that prohibit gifts in exchange for votes. The upcoming election is particularly significant as it has the potential to shift control of the Supreme Court in Wisconsin from a liberal to a conservative majority, making it the most expensive judicial election in American history. During a rally held on Sunday night, Musk expressed his desire for judges to remain impartial, stating, 'We just want judges to be judges. ' He handed out the checks to voters who had signed a petition aimed at stopping what he referred to as 'activist' judges. In response to Kaul's legal challenges, Musk's legal team contended that the Attorney General was infringing upon Musk's right to political speech, as protected by the First Amendment. They further argued that the financial contributions were intended to foster a grassroots movement against activist judges rather than to explicitly support or oppose any particular candidate. After two lower courts ruled in favor of Musk, Kaul sought an emergency intervention from the state's Supreme Court, but the court unanimously declined to take up the case. Musk, along with former President Donald Trump, has endorsed conservative candidate Brad Schimel, a judge from Waukesha County, in hopes of flipping the court's majority. Schimel is competing against Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who has received endorsements from the liberal justices of the Supreme Court. Musk's legal representatives also claimed that judges who have publicly supported Crawford should be disqualified from ruling on this matter due to potential bias. At the rally, Musk presented a check to Ekaterina Diestler, a voter who participated in the petition. The Supreme Court race in Wisconsin is being viewed by political analysts as a referendum on Trump's second term, occurring just months after his inauguration. This election also precedes significant cases that will be brought before the court regarding abortion rights, congressional redistricting, and voting regulations, all of which could have a substantial impact on the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Musk has framed the election as an opportunity to prevent redistricting that could favor Democrats in Congress. He has contributed a staggering $14 million to Schimel's campaign, making this election the most expensive judicial race in U. S. history, with total expenditures reaching $81 million. Despite Musk's financial backing, Schimel has distanced himself from Musk in recent days, telling the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he had no plans to attend the rally and was unaware of its details. This is not the first instance of Musk offering financial incentives to voters; last year, he proposed a cash prize of $1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states if they signed a petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights. A judge in Pennsylvania later ruled that this giveaway was legal, stating that prosecutors had failed to demonstrate it constituted an unlawful lottery.