Pennsylvania lawsuit over Musk voter giveaways temporarily paused
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Elon Musk at a rally for Former President Trump in New York on Oct. 27. Photo: Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images
A Pennsylvania lawsuit over Elon Musk's daily $1 million giveaways was put on hold Thursday pending a federal judge's decision on whether or not to take up the case.
Why it matters: Musk — one of former President Trump's biggest backers — has already shrugged off a warning from the Justice Department about the legally dubious stunt.
Catch up quick: Musk's pro-Trump super PAC has been giving away $1 million prizes to registered voters in swing states for signing a petition.
- The Department of Justice warned Musk last week that the contest could violate federal law against paying people to register to vote.
- Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) filed a lawsuit over the contest Monday to halt the giveaways in Pennsylvania, arguing they violated state lottery and consumer protection laws.
- Several $1 million prizes have already been awarded to Pennsylvania voters.
State of play: A Pennsylvania judge on Wednesday ordered Musk to attend a court hearing Thursday morning over the lawsuit, Reuters reported.
- However, late Wednesday night Musk filed a "motion of removal" in federal court, asking the case to be moved before a federal judge, CNN reports.
- "The Complaint, in truth, has little to do with state-law claims of nuisance and consumer protection," Musk's lawyers wrote in their court filing, CNN reported.
- Instead, Krasner's claims "raise significant questions of federal law that are within the exclusive province" of the federal court system, they argued.
The big picture: Pennsylvania state Judge Angelo Foglietta moved forward with the court hearing Thursday despite Musk's absence and declined to sanction him, AP reported.
- Foglietta put the lawsuit on hold pending a decision by U.S. District Judge Gerald J. Pappert, though no hearings are yet scheduled, per AP.
- The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Zoom out: Musk, the world's richest man and an increasingly influential figure in the GOP, is in line for a prominent role in Trump's administration if the former president wins the White House.
Go deeper: Musk's "unparalleled" efforts to put Trump back in the White House
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect the lawsuit's status after Thursday's hearing.
