海角大神

Wisconsin's attorney general on Sunday asked the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to stop billionaire聽Elon Musk from handing over $1 million checks聽to two voters, an appeal that came hours before President Donald Trump's ally planned the giveaway at an evening rally.

An appeals court on Saturday聽rejected the legal challenge聽by Democrat Josh Kaul, who argues that Mr. Musk's offer violates a state law prohibiting giving anything of value in exchange for a vote.

Wisconsin's tightly contested Supreme Court election, where ideological control of the court is at stake, is on Tuesday. Liberals currently hold a 4-3 majority.

At Mr. Musk's rally scheduled in Green Bay at 7:30 p.m. EST, he promised to hand over a pair of $1 million checks to voters who signed an online petition against 鈥渁ctivist鈥� judges.

Mr. Trump and Mr. Musk are backing Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel in the Supreme Court race, while Democrats are behind Dane County Judge Susan Crawford. Mr. Trump and groups he supports have spent more than $20 million to help Mr. Schimel get elected.

Ms. Crawford's campaign declined to comment Sunday on the appeal.

The justices who are being asked to decide the matter include the liberal incumbent whose retirement this year set up the race for an open seat and control of the court. The contest has shattered national spending records for a judicial election, with more than $81 million in spending.

Mr. Musk鈥檚 political action committee used聽a nearly identical tactic聽before the presidential election last year,聽offering to pay聽$1 million a day to voters in Wisconsin and six other battleground states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. A judge in Pennsylvania said prosecutors聽failed to show聽the effort was an illegal lottery and allowed it to continue through Election Day.

The appeals court said Saturday that the attorney general, in a 鈥渕inimally developed legal argument,鈥� failed to show that he was entitled to an order blocking Mr. Musk. The court also noted that Mr. Kaul alleged that the Columbia County Circuit Court had refused to hear his lawsuit, but he provided no details about the court鈥檚 action.

There is no entry for the county court's decision in the state鈥檚 online court database and neither Mr. Kaul鈥檚 office nor the state court office has provided any documentation to The Associated Press of the court鈥檚 actions which came after business hours on Friday night.

鈥淲e are not permitted to be the first court to decide whether the respondents are engaged in the conduct that is alleged, or to decide the legal status of that conduct,鈥� the appeals court said.

Mr. Musk on Friday initially said in a post on his social media platform, X, that he planned to 鈥減ersonally hand over鈥� $2 million to a pair of voters who have聽already cast their ballots聽in the race.

Mr. Musk later posted a clarification, saying the money would go to people who will be 鈥渟pokesmen鈥� for an online petition against 鈥渁ctivist鈥� judges. After first saying the event would only be open to people who had voted in the Supreme Court race, he said attendance would be limited to those who have signed the petition.

Also on Friday, Mr. Musk鈥檚 political action committee identified the recipient of its first $1 million giveaway 鈥� a Green Bay man who had donated to the Wisconsin GOP and the conservative candidate in the court race, and who has a history of posting support for Mr. Trump and his agenda.

The judicial election comes as Wisconsin's highest court is expected to rule on聽abortion rights,聽congressional redistricting,聽union power,聽and voting rules that could affect the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential election in the state.

This story was reported by The Associated Press.