A Philadelphia judge will hold a hearing Thursday morning to consider a lawsuit filed by the city’s district attorney, Larry Krasner, seeking to halt Elon Musk’s controversial $1 million-a-day sweepstakes targeting battleground states, The Associated Press reports.
Krasner, a Democrat, filed the suit on Monday, arguing that the sweepstakes, run by Musk’s political organization America PAC, is designed to boost Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and could violate election law.
The sweepstakes, set to run through Election Day, offers a chance to win $1 million to individuals in key states who sign a petition supporting the Constitution. However, election law experts have raised concerns about whether it violates federal laws barring payments in exchange for votes. Musk has defended the scheme, arguing that the money is both a prize and compensation for working as a spokesperson for the group.
Judge Angelo Foglietta will hear motions on the case in a City Hall courtroom. It remains unclear whether Musk will attend the hearing.
Krasner has said that he may also consider criminal charges, citing his responsibility to protect the public from both illegal lotteries and “interference with the integrity of elections.”
Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and owner of X (formerly Twitter), has openly declared his support for Trump, stating that he believes civilization is at stake if the former president loses the election. He has pledged over $70 million to America PAC to aid Trump and other Republicans in the November election.
Pennsylvania, with its 19 electoral votes, is a crucial battleground state in the presidential race. Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have made multiple visits to the state as they campaign for its electoral votes.
