Elon Musk's Political Maneuvering

Elon Musk may be falling out with Donald Trump and the Republican Party, but the Tesla billionaire's chainsaw-wielding, cheesehead-wearing, million-dollar-donating attempt to seduce Wisconsin voters earlier this year was just "the tip of the spear" for big money influence on state supreme court elections, legal experts and government watchdogs tell Raw Story.

Republican Investment in Judicial Elections

Conservative groups such as the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) have committed to seven-figure spending in 2025 state supreme court elections, seeking to ensure conservative rulings on state legislation and position Republicans for favorable redistricting in 2030.

Strategic Approach to Elections

"It is not enough just to elect Republican majorities in the states if those legislators are constantly going to be overruled by the courts," RSLC President Edith Jorge-Tuñón said in a January memo to investors, shared with Raw Story.

Investing in State Races

"Investing in state judicial races along with state legislative races will continue to be our recipe for driving states in a more conservative direction."

The Democratic Response

Democrats have been bracing for Republicans' "judicial approach" to enacting Project 2025 -- the policy plan for a second Trump administration produced by a hard-right think tank, the Heritage Foundation -- said Heather Williams, president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats at the state level.

Concerns About Partisan Courts

"Republicans have deeply impacted the partisan nature of our courts," Williams said.

Federal and State Pathways

"They've stacked the [U.S.] Supreme Court, so they've got a federal path, and now in battleground states, they are looking to secure a pathway through the courts."

The Role of State Supreme Courts

Political parties and special interest groups are increasingly recognizing that state supreme courts are where fights on issues such as abortion access, redistricting and voter rights will play out, said Douglas Keith, senior counsel, democracy, at the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonpartisan nonprofit.

Judicial Fairness Initiative

Keith said the RSLC had been "fairly open" about the objective of its Judicial Fairness Initiative: to "ensure that when those policies were litigated, they went before friendlier courts."

Left vs Right Fundraising

There isn't an equal initiative on the left, Keith said, but in terms of fundraising for state supreme court races, there's "something closer to parity."

Concerns Over Money in Elections

Watchdogs anticipate state parties, billionaires and dark money groups will increasingly invest in state supreme court justices who will make "critical decisions" in the next redistricting cycle, which "could potentially tip the balance of power in the House of Representatives," said Aaron Scherb, senior director of legislative affairs at Common Cause, a nonpartisan group.

Corrosive Influence of Big Money

"Big money in politics can have a corrosive influence on elections, in general, and especially in judicial races, that can call into question the impartiality of judges once they're elected because in many cases donors are not donating out of the goodness of their heart," Scherb said. "They want something in return for their big donations. I think when we have tens of millions, if not more, of dollars spent in judicial races, it raises serious ethical questions."