Elon Musk offers voters cash to sign state petition against ‘activist judges’

Tech billionaire Elon Musk promoted a cash giveaway Thursday for Wisconsin voters who sign a petition against “activist judges”, as President Donald Trump demanded courts stop blocking his agenda.

Judges have dealt Trump a number of setbacks in recent weeks as his administration pursues its wholesale overhaul of the federal government through Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency.”.

The America PAC, a pro-Trump political action committee established by Musk, said it would give $100 to Wisconsin voters who sign the “petition in opposition to activist judges”.

The petition, which Musk reposted on his social media platform X, urges Wisconsin voters to sign by April 1, when the northern state elects a judge for its Supreme Court.

America PAC has thrown its weight behind conservative candidate Brad Schimel for the crucial seat in the swing state’s top court.

“Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas,” it wrote on X.

“Wisconsin registered voters receive $100 for signing the petition & $100 for each signer they refer.”

America PAC has launched a series of controversial initiatives, including cash incentives for voters who refer others to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments to the US Constitution, which protect free speech and the right to bear arms.

It also launched a daily $1 million lottery prize for random petition signatories in election battleground states in the 2024 presidential race.

The Justice Department warned Musk and America PAC in October that the sweepstakes may violate federal law, which prohibits paying people to register to vote.

The Wisconsin petition comes after Trump launched a scathing attack Tuesday on a judge who suggested his administration had ignored an order to block the deportation of alleged illegal migrants to El Salvador.

Trump personally called for the impeachment of District Judge James Boasberg, calling him “a troublemaker and agitator” in remarks that drew a rare public rebuke of a sitting president from the Supreme Court chief.

Federal Election Commission filings in December showed that Musk, the world’s richest person and Trump’s top donor, donated $238 million to America PAC.

AFP