The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled late Sunday night to reject a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Josh Kaul, which sought to stop Elon Musk and America PAC from executing a planned $1 million giveaway at a Green Bay town hall in support of conservative Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel.
The court’s last-minute decision—which came minutes before the event was set to begin—allowed the two $1 million giveaways to proceed.
Legal Battle Over the Giveaway
Kaul’s lawsuit, filed on Friday, March 29, 2025, sought emergency relief to block Musk and America PAC from offering or promising financial incentives to voters. The Wisconsin state law prohibits anyone from offering something of value to influence an elector’s decision to vote or whom they vote for.
However, Judge W. Andrew Voigt of the Columbia County Circuit Court declined to hear the case before Sunday’s event, prompting Kaul to file an emergency appeal with a Wisconsin Court of Appeals—which was also denied on Saturday.
With time running out, Kaul escalated the matter to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, but the justices ultimately rejected his motion.
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Recusal Request Denied
In response to Kaul’s appeal, Musk’s legal team filed a motion for the recusal of Wisconsin Supreme Court Justices Rebecca Frank Dallet and Jill J. Karofsky, citing their previous support for Supreme Court candidate Susan Crawford—who has been publicly critical of Musk.
Musk’s attorneys argued that their involvement posed a risk of bias, but the court also rejected this request.
Musk’s Defense: “Spokesperson Agreements”
Musk’s legal team defended the planned giveaway by framing the $1 million prizes as “spokesperson agreements”, stating that recipients would be compensated for their role as promotional representatives for America PAC rather than as an incentive to vote.
Despite this defense, Kaul’s lawsuit had alleged that:
“Musk’s announcement of his intention to pay $1 million to two Wisconsin electors who attend his event on Sunday night, specifically conditioned on their having voted in the upcoming April 3, 2025, Wisconsin Supreme Court election, is a blatant attempt to violate Wisconsin state law.”
Musk’s Growing Political Influence
Musk has previously leveraged cash giveaways as a political strategy. Last year, he orchestrated a controversial $1 million sweepstakes in swing states to boost Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.
So far, America PAC and Building America’s Future—two Musk-aligned political groups—have invested nearly $20 million in support of Brad Schimel’s campaign.
A Record-Breaking Supreme Court Race
The Wisconsin Supreme Court election, taking place on Tuesday, April 3, 2025, has become a political firestorm, drawing national attention. According to the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU, it is now the most expensive state Supreme Court race in U.S. history.
