Case centered on Elon Musk’s $1M voter giveaway moved to federal court

WASHINGTON

An effort by Philadelphia's district attorney seeking to end tech mogul Elon Musk's $1 million daily giveaways to registered voters was put on hold and assigned to a federal court on Thursday.

Attorneys for Musk, a key backer of former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump, and his conservative America political action committee (PAC) had sought to have the case shifted to federal court, saying it was governed by federal, not state law, according to multiple reports.

District Attorney Larry Krasner argued that the case should remain in state court because it concerns efforts to influence voters in Pennsylvania.

But Judge Angelo Foglietta agreed to put a hold on the case to allow time for a federal court to decide whether it will take it up. That will almost certainly delay any ruling until after the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Krasner filed a motion in district court Thursday seeking to have the case returned to state court, according to The Washington Post newspaper.

Musk's America PAC is giving away $1 million every day in a lottery-style system for registered voters who sign a pledge supporting gun rights and free speech. A total of 13 people have been selected for the prize so far, with four hailing from Pennsylvania, according to the organization's website.

A smaller sum of $100 was being offered to Pennsylvanians who signed the pledge, with another $100 offered to those who referred someone to sign the petition. The incentive has since expired.

Pennsylvania is one of seven key battleground states as Trump and Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris enter the final days of a razor-thin race.

Musk's pro-Trump PAC is slated to give out $1 million daily to registered voters in each of the states -- Arizona, Nevada, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Georgia -- from Nov. 1-5