Elon Musk sparked both backlash and legal proceedings when he announced plans to hand out checks for $1 million to voters in Wisconsin as part of a race for control of the state's Supreme Court.
Musk widely shared the news of his controversial plans on Friday (March 28), when he took to Twitter to announce that he would offer two voters the chance to walk away with the checks 'in appreciation for [them] taking the time to vote'.
The SpaceX founder said the offer was only open to people who had already voted, but the notion of offering cash to voters caused Wisconsin Attorney General and Democrat Josh Kaul to file a lawsuit claiming that Musk was violating a state law.
In a statement shared on Twitter, Kaul wrote: "The Wisconsin Department of Justice is committed to ensuring that elections in Wisconsin are safe, secure, free, and fair.
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"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."
In his filing, Kaul said: "Wisconsin law prohibits offering anything of value to induce anyone to vote. Yet, Elon Musk did just that.”
However, Musk's lawyers responded by accusing the Attorney General of 'restraining Mr Musk's political speech and curtailing his First Amendment rights'.
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The lawyers added that the checks were 'intended to generate a grassroots movement in opposition to activist judges, not to expressly advocate for or against any candidate'.
Two lower courts ended up taking Musk's side in the legal proceedings, and Kaul's attempt to hear the supreme court's opinion failed when it unanimously declined to hear the case just minutes before the rally in Wisconsin began.
As a result, Musk appeared on stage in Green Bay on Sunday (March 30), and welcomed on stage two voters who had signed a petition to stop 'activist' judges to give them the $1 million checks.
Along with Donald Trump, the billionaire has endorsed Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the Supreme Court election; a conservative candidate who the Republicans hope will flip the court in their favor.
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Speaking of the vote, Musk said: “It’s a super big deal. I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person. I think this will be important for the future of civilization. It’s that’s significant.”
In spite of the support he has received from Musk, Schimel told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Friday that he would not be at the rally, adding: "I have no idea what he's doing. I have no idea what this rally is."
Schimel is running against Dane County Judge Susan Crawford in the race.
Topics: US News, Politics, Elon Musk, Donald Trump, Money
Emily Brown