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A federal judge on Friday redirected a lawsuit challenging Elon Musk’s $1 million voter giveaway initiative to a Pennsylvania state court, where plaintiffs are seeking to halt the billionaire’s donations to registered U.S. voters.
Undeterred by an ongoing lawsuit filed by Philadelphia’s chief prosecutor, Elon Musk awarded $1 million to a Michigan man on Friday as part of his daily sweepstakes.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has stated he will carry on with the daily giveaways until Election Day, maintaining his commitment to the program.
This week, Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat, sued Elon Musk along with the pro-Trump America PAC, contending that their $1 million sweepstakes aimed at registered voters in battleground states violates the law as “an illegal lottery scheme.”
Hoping to shift the legal proceedings, Musk’s lawyers filed a motion to bring the case to federal court. District Court Judge Gerald Pappert, however, sent the case back to state court on Friday, stating that it was the correct venue for the matter.
Federal law enforcement officials last week issued a warning to Elon Musk and America PAC, advising that their voter giveaway program might contravene U.S. laws that prohibit paying individuals as an incentive to register to vote.
Read also: I’m ‘All In’ On Trump In US Election – Elon Musk Reveals
According to the America PAC website, 14 people, including four in Pennsylvania, have received the $1 million awards so far.
Musk, 53, who also owns X, formerly Twitter, has thrown his millions, time and considerable influence into backing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump since endorsing him in July.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has reportedly donated $118 million to his political action committee, an organization which collects funds for elections.
He has also appeared on stage with Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and hosted a series of town halls on his own in the eastern state seen as critical in Tuesday’s election.
Musk, who previously supported Barack Obama but has become increasingly conservative in recent years, peppers his 202 million followers on X daily with messages championing Trump and denigrating his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
