http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/trump-elan-musk-2025-s452.png“These are not wild donations. They’re calculated," says Media, Crawford Campaign.

MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, Elon Musk is pouring millions of dollars into the Wisconsin Supreme Court race to back extreme politician Brad Schimel as Tesla files a case against the state. This lawsuit, which could reach the very court Schimel is running for, raises serious questions about his impartiality.

But this isn’t the first time Shady Schimel has been bought off for favors. Schimel’s track record speaks for itself: he gave a sweet plea deal to a child predator after getting cash from the perp’s lawyer to fund his campaign. And while the opioid epidemic devastated Wisconsin communities, Schimel looked the other way to the tune of $17,000 in pharmaceutical industry donations, and refused to join a bipartisan lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Elon Musk is pouring millions of dollars into supporting Brad Schimel’s campaign after Musk’s company sued the State of Wisconsin— a case that could one day end up before the Supreme Court. Schimel has a long history of being bought off for favors, and now Musk is the latest example,” said campaign spokesman Derrick Honeyman. “Schimel’s track record speaks for itself: he gave a sweet plea deal to a child predator after getting cash from the perp’s lawyer to fund his campaign, and Schimel looked the other way as Big Pharma stuffed his campaign pockets and devastated Wisconsin communities with addictive drugs. Wisconsinites deserve a Supreme Court Justice that puts fairness and impartiality first—not a career politician like Schimel who’s always for sale to the highest bidder.”

See more from Wisconsin Public Radio:

WPR: As Musk pours millions into Wisconsin Supreme Court race, Tesla files case that could reach justices

• Billionaire Elon Musk is pouring millions of dollars into Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race as his electric vehicle company wages a legal fight that could reach the state’s high court.

• Musk’s money has helped tip the funding scales in conservatives’ favor, but it comes as Tesla is suing the state over a decision that prevented the company from opening dealerships in Wisconsin.

• Last year, the state denied Tesla’s request for dealer licenses, saying the company did not qualify for an exemption to a state law prohibiting manufacturers from owning dealerships. The company had hoped to convert its galleries in Madison and Milwaukee into dealerships, and had additional plans for dealerships in Glendale and the Fox Cities.

• Tesla’s case could hypothetically make its way to the state Supreme Court. But it’s not clear if it’s the type of case the court typically takes up, said Bryna Godar, a staff attorney with the State Democracy Research Initiative at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

• Stephen Gillers, an emeritus law professor at New York University Law School, said he sees Musk as no different from any other organization that anticipates making repeat appearances before state courts, or anticipates issues facing the court could affect them.

• “They want to influence how the state court rules, and they want to do that by generously supporting candidates whose votes, once elected, are likely — in their prediction — to favor the positions they have,” he said. “These are not wild donations. They’re calculated.”

• James Sample is a law professor at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University in New York state. He said Wisconsin’s model of allowing justices to decide whether or not they can be impartial is a “fundamental flaw” in the system.

• He said Musk’s campaign spending could reasonably be viewed as a conflict of interest for Schimel if Tesla’s case reaches the Supreme Court.

• “If Elon Musk’s personal expenditures end up being one of the primary forces that supports the campaign of a judge, and then Elon Musk — in his corporate capacity — effectively appears before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, ask yourself the question: Might it be reasonable to question the impartiality of the judge whom he supported?” Sample asked.

• With Musk’s powerful position in the Trump White House, the tech billionaire’s spending in the state Supreme Court race could seek to expand his influence into the courts, Sample said.

• “Whether an oligarch is conservative or liberal, it is a concern when the oligarchy takes over our politics and our courts,” he said.