Why Is Elon Musk Eagerly Trying to Flip Wisconsin's Supreme Court?
Elon Musk has suddenly developed a strong fascination with the Wisconsin This year, the Supreme Court has invested at least $18 million in supporting conservative circuit Judge Brad Schimel's campaign as he runs in Wisconsin’s election on April 1st. The aim is to fill the vacancy left by the retiring liberal Justice Ann Walsh Bradley; in this race, Schimel faces a more moderate opponent named Susan Crawford.
The court presently boasts a four-to-three liberal majority; however, with Bradley retiring, electing Schimel instead could tip the ideological scale toward the right wing. It’s worth noting though that this contest officially remains nonpartisan.
Musk is so dedicated to shifting the balance of power that he has offered local voters $100 to sign a petition criticizing "activist judges." giving one fortunate signer $1 million in an attempt to draw attention to his cause as a final resort.
Musk is scheduled to deliver a talk in Wisconsin on Sunday. Following his address, he plans to present $2 million to two supporters from the Republican party.
The globe's most affluent individual could be presumed to have more than enough on his agenda, handling Tesla , SpaceX and X while concurrently aiding the President Donald Trump when restructuring the federal bureaucracy via his Department of Government Efficiency DOGE and looking after 13 children.
Why is the leader of one of the big tech companies contributing unprecedented amounts for political campaigns aimed at swaying a court battle in Wisconsin?
At first look, this issue may seem like a minor one next to some of Musk’s other projects. However, during an X Spaces event on Saturday with Schimel and Wisconsin Republican Senator, Musk emphasized how crucial he believes the result of this will be. Ron Johnson .
Following the usual run of technical hitches, Musk stated: "This competition holds great significance for numerous reasons."
The most significant aspect is that this decision will determine how congressional districts are mapped out in Wisconsin. If the opposing candidate prevails, rather than Justice Schimel taking office, the Democrats would seek to redistrict the areas, potentially causing Wisconsin to forfeit two Republican-held seats.
In my view, this is the crucial element, particularly considering how narrow the congressional majority is. This shift has the potential to flip the House to Democratic control if the redistricting happens.
He worries that if Crawford wins, it could result in a court with a majority of progressives in Wisconsin. This shift might enable the court to revise the present electoral districting, potentially altering the outcome from sending six Republicans and only two Democrats to Congress.
Shifting support towards the opposition might weaken the GOP’s grip on the lower chamber, enable the Democrats to regain control of the House, and consequently make it simpler to block President Trump’s policy initiatives.
An additional factor not mentioned by the billionaire but quite pertinent is that Tesla, his electric car company, is engaged in legal action with Wisconsin. This dispute revolves around state regulations preventing automakers from bypassing traditional dealership networks for direct consumer sales. The litigation was initiated in January. The New York Times reported , arrived merely days prior to Musk starting to inject funds into the state to back Schimel’s campaign.
Having served as both a state attorney general and a Waukesha County circuit judge, Schimel brings this experience with him. “a willing accomplice” amidst all of this, as stated by Mother Jones , was present at Trump’s inauguration in January and lobbied intensely for the president's endorsement, which he ultimately received last week.
"All voters who support common sense should get out and vote early for Brad Schimel," Trump encourages. posted on Truth Social.
To gain the president's approval, Schimel allegedly went to a "Mega MAGA rally" last March where he stood before a massive 50-foot inflatable figure of Trump. He also dressed up as a trash collector for Halloween and was seen boating with a shirt stating: “Jesus is my savior, Trump is my president.”
He has similarly taken aim at the Wisconsin Supreme Court for how they managed the 2020 presidential election, where Trump was defeated by Joe Biden. He stated that Trump got "screwed over" due to their choice to maintain a Green Party contender off the ballot. Additionally, he referred to Republican Justice Brian Hagedorn as "soft-headed," and labeled the court's three progressive women justices as "as dumb as a sack of hammers," "addled," and "crazy."
Furthermore, Schimel has echoed Trump’s demands for election reforms, recently stating to a conservative radio host that it was essential to strengthen the system against supposed Democratic misconduct, "To ensure that at 11:30 PM in Milwaukee, they won’t suddenly discover piles of uncounted votes."
Musk has also turned to election scaremongering To secure victory, posted on X in January stating "it’s crucial to cast your ballot for the Republican candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election to stop voter fraud!"
He was talking about the court's ruling to bring back mail-in ballot drop boxes in July for the upcoming votes in November. Despite this, there has been no proof indicating these drop boxes are susceptible to fraud or being tampered with.
Similar to Trump, Musk has recently become more critical of the judicial system and has advocated for the impeachment of federal judges whose rulings have hindered the president’s executive orders. Following this trend, D.C. District Court Judge James Boasberg faced significant criticism from Musk. decision opposing Trump's deportation flights transporting suspected Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador.
U.S. Supreme Court Head Judge John Roberts has called for an end to public appeals of this kind However, neither individual has paid much attention to this matter. Musk might soon cross paths with Boasberg as they have both been tasked with investigating the "Signalgate" scandal involving Trump’s principal security officers.
Since 1986, The Independent has been advocating for beliefs we stand behind, rather than those dictated to us, upholding honesty, inclusivity, creativity, and self-reliance as core values.
