Elon Musk wants voter lottery lawsuit in federal court
SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks at a town hall with Republican candidate U.S. Senate Dave McCormick at the Roxain Theater on October 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Michael Swensen | Getty Images
Elon Musk and his political action committee are seeking to move the Philadelphia District Attorney’s lawsuit targeting their $1 million swing state voter lottery to federal court.
Lawyers for Musk and his America PAC late Wednesday filed a notice of removal in Pennsylvania federal court for DA Larry Krasner’s suit, hours after a Philadelphia County judge ordered Musk to personally appear for an emergency hearing in the case to determine whether the lottery should be halted.
That hearing is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. in a Philadelphia City Hall courtroom.
It is not clear if that hearing, where Musk had been ordered to appear in person, will proceed as planned given the notice of removal in federal court.
That notice argues that because America PAC is registered as a federal entity, it is subject to state law in the dispute.
Krasner’s lawsuit, which claims Musk’s $1 million giveaway is an illegal, unregulated lottery, was filed in Philadelphia County Court of Pleas on Monday. A hearing on Krasner’s request for an emergency injunction to block the lottery from continuing was originally scheduled for Friday.
On Wednesday, lawyers for Krasner in a court filing raised security concerns due to “antisemitic attacks on” the district attorney from Musk’s social media followers, one of whom posted the prosecutor’s home address online. The attorneys also asked the judge in the case to order Musk and a representative for America PAC to appear in person for Friday’s hearing.
Later Wednesday, the judge reset the hearing to Thursday morning, and ordered Musk and someone for the PAC to be in attendance.
Musk and his America PAC have offered the supposedly random cash prizes to people in one of seven swing states who sign a petition in swing states “in support of the Constitution.” The DA’s suit alleges Musk is trying to influence voters in the election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
Musk is heavily backing Trump in the race.
“America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) – to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million,” Krasner’s lawsuit says. “That is a lottery.”
The U.S. Department of Justice previously warned America PAC the giveaway might violate federal election law, but had not filed a court action to block it.
America PAC has said it has given away a total of $12 million in the lottery.
Four of the $1 million awards went to people in Pennsylvania, the most of any of the swing states eligible for the prize.
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