The vote of the Supreme Wisconsin Court attracts national attention and millions of musk: NPR

Many of the most disputed questions in the country and the hottest partisan policy take place in a race at the Supreme Court of Wisconsin. The election is Tuesday.

At the level of the state, the rights to abortion, the voting rights and the powers of the public unions could all be The balance of future court decisions.

And impacting the national scene, the court could determine whether the state redraws its districts of Congress according to lines which end up shrinking or ending the majority that the Republicans hold in the House of American Representatives.

The money flocks from across the country, with millions of dollars to support the conservative candidate from the billionaire Elon Musk, who visited the state on Sunday evening for a gathering wearing a cheesehead hat. He presented $ 1 million to two people after a legal back and forth on the question of whether the money was to bribe the voters. The Liberal candidate has received millions of support from billionaire George Soros, the Illinois Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, Philanthrope of Wisconsin and others.

Expenses on both sides should reach $ 100 million, Which is more than everyone except the American Senate The races are every cost last year. It’s the most Costly breed of judge neverSaid the Brennan Center for Justice, a non -partisan reflection group and a defense group of democracy.

Wisconsin is a swing state where President Trump narrowly beat Kamala Harris in 2024. There is a Democratic Governor, Tony Evers and a legislature controlled by the Republican. Tuesday’s vote could be the first measure of Trump’s popularity and the energy of the Democrats after the elections five months ago. It could also be a referendum on the adviser close to Trump, Musk.

Two county judges compete for a seat opening on the ground

The races of the Supreme Court are not in favor of Wisconsin, so there will be no “D” or “R” alongside the names of the judges on the ballot, but they are generally described as liberal or conservative. This race would replace one of the four liberal judges of the court of seven judges for a mandate of 10 years.

The two candidates are county judges. Brad Schimel is a county of Waukesha and former public prosecutor of Wisconsin. It is approved by Trump. Dane County Judge Susan Crawford was approved by former President Barack Obama last week.

Crawford worked as a deputy prosecutor general and as the chief legal advisor of the former Democratic Governor Jim Doyle. Schimel was the district prosecutor of Waukesha and was elected attorney general of the State, but lost an offer for a second term in this position in 2018.

With heavy expenses, Voters are barred with television advertisements, websites and letters by campaigns and independent groups.

Questions: Rights of abortion, ID of voters, unions

The race has implemented several of the same questions as the last presidential election. On the rights to abortion, Crawford accuses Schimel of supporting a law of the State of 1849 which is still in books and in court. It was used to block abortion in Wisconsin for more than a year after the United States Supreme Court canceled federal abortion in 2022. Currently, abortion is legal up to approximately 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Schimel recognizes that he said that the law of 1849 was valid but says that abortion should belong to “the will of the people”. Democrats note that it is opposite abortion in the past. Crawford explains how she represented Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin when she was a private lawyer.

Wisconsin also houses one of the country’s largest battles on labor rights. As a lawyer, Crawford worked for teachers opposed to a 2011 law prohibiting most public collective negotiation employees. A judge recently blocked this law, which could be directed towards the Supreme Court of the State.

Meanwhile, Schimel said he would vote yes on a measure also on the ballot Tuesday to place the requirements for the identification of voters in the constitution of the State. Crawford says that she does not think that a legal candidate should take a public post on something that could end up being interpreted by the Court.

The Schimel campaign also deployed a problem which, according to the candidates of the GOP, worked for them in 2024 – opposition to the rights of the transgender. A campaign announcement features a woman saying that Crawford “Côte with” radicals in favor of authorizing him “of male teachers in transition” in the bathrooms of girls at school. Defenders of transgender rights claim that it is an example of fear.

Musk’s millions, his petition paid and external money

Elon Musk and groups related to him would have spent at least $ 20 million to support Schimel. The Associated Press reports that they were misleading advertisements that seem to come from the crawford Camp and highlight controversial fashionable words. Musk also offered $ 100 to anyone who signs a petition against “militant judges” and gave $ 1 million to two petition signatories.

Musk says he is interested in the race because the court has the power on the redistribution of the Congress elections and that if Crawford wins, “then the Democrats will try to redraw the districts and to perish the Wisconsin to lose two republican seats.”

Crawford supporters have highlighted the involvement of Musk. “Elon Musk really tries to buy a seat at the Supreme Wisconsin Court”, ” Said Crawford.

“I have no control over any outside group. I will apply the law. I will apply the law as the legislator wrote,” said Schimel in the debate to a campaign.

Musk has a question in the Wisconsin courts as CEO of Tesla. In January, the automaker continued to search for a exemption from a state law This prohibits car manufacturers from selling directly to consumers – as Tesla does – instead of going through dealerships.

Crawford says that its expenses far exceed its best donors. His biggest funder seems to be the philanthropic of Wisconsin, Lynde Uihlein, which, according to the Brennan center, gave $ 6.2 million. Soros gave $ 2 million.

This story was written by Larry Kaplow of NPR with reports from Chuck Quirmbach and Maayan Silver from Wuwm and Rich Kremer and Anya Van Wagtendonk of the Wisconsin public radio.