Elon Musk gives away $1 million cheques before Wisconsin Supreme Court election despite facing legal challenges

Elon Musk has given away $1 million in cheques to voters in the US state of Wisconsin. This giveaway follows the state supreme court's refusal to intervene. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO announced the prize earlier this week, and the cheques were distributed just before Wisconsin's Supreme Court election, which is set to be held on April 1. To try stopping the giveaway, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul sued Musk, arguing that he violated a state law that bans gifts in exchange for votes.


At the rally, before distributing two $1 million (nearly Rs 8.5 crore) checks, Musk said, "we only want judges to be judges.” According to a report by the BBC, the cheques were given to voters who had signed a petition to stop judges he described as "activist."
Kaul argued that the giveaway was an unlawful attempt to buy votes. In response, Musk's lawyers claimed that Kaul was restricting Musk's political speech and limiting his First Amendment rights.
They further explained that the payments were designed to build a grassroots movement against activist judges, not to support or oppose any specific candidate.

After two lower courts ruled in favour of Musk, Kaul asked the state's supreme court for a last-minute reprieve, but the highest court declined to review the case, the report added.

In Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election, Musk and US President Donald Trump have endorsed conservative candidate Brad Schimel to change the leanings of the court, which is currently viewed as liberal.
Schimel is competing against Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, who has received backing from the state Supreme Court's liberal judges. Musk’s lawyers also argued that judges endorsing Crawford should be recused from the case due to perceived bias. Musk has even contributed $14m to Schimel's campaign, with the overall race marking a significant financial contest.
However, Judge Schimel has distanced himself from Musk, the report noted. In an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Schimel said that he was unaware of Musk’s plans for the rally.
Apart from this, Musk has previously offered cash giveaways to voters. Last year, he proposed a daily $1 million prize in Wisconsin and other battleground states for signing a petition supporting First and Second Amendment rights. A Pennsylvania judge later ruled that this giveaway was legal after prosecutors could not prove it was an unlawful lottery.