A federal judge in Texas has ordered the state’s Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to let his Democratic opponent review more than a thousand pages of unredacted emails between himself and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
In a ruling on Monday, Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy said state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is entitled to review the documents because she may use them for legislative reasons. Lawmakers are permitted to view executive branch communications under the Texas Public Information Act.
“Abbott has obstructed and continues to obstruct plaintiff Hinojosa’s exercise of her right to inspect the documents,” Mauzy wrote, calling Abbott’s conduct “illegal” under Texas law.
The governor’s office was directed to turn the documents over to Hinojosa by 10 a.m. on Oct. 29. However, Abbott’s office has appealed the decision and won’t need to hand over the documents until the appeals process is over.
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According to the filing, Hinojosa sought the emails to evaluate existing laws and potential legislative measures concerning the state government and economic-development incentives, state grants, business regulation, environmental protection and other matters affecting Elon Musk’s companies.
Several of Musk’s companies are based in Texas, including SpaceX, Tesla and X.
In a 2024 X post, Musk said he was moving SpaceX from Hawthorne, California, to Starbase, Texas, because of the state’s anti-transgender laws. Musk has a transgender daughter, Vivian Wilson, who has become an outspoken critic of her father.
In 2020, Musk announced he’d be moving Tesla from California to Texas after Alameda County, where Tesla had been based, barred the company from resuming production during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In both instances, Musk called the policies the “final straw.”
A news release from Hinojosa’s office says Abbott tried to withhold the emails because they were too “intimate and embarrassing.”
“Texans built this great state, and we aren’t going to let Abbott’s donors continue buying up our land, shutting down our schools, or taking our water and electricity for their benefit,” Hinojosa said in a news release following the ruling.
“The people have the right to transparency, and that’s why I’m continuing to fight for the documents between Elon Musk and Greg Abbott,” she added.
In an emailed statement to The Washington Sun, Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary, called the lawsuit “a baseless stunt and nothing more than an act of desperation.”
Mahaleris accused Hinojosa of abusing her capacity for political purposes. The governor’s office has also filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Hinojosa first requested to inspect the emails on Sept. 29, specifically asking the governor’s office for correspondence that took place before Oct. 13.
Abbott did not allow Hinojosa to inspect the emails, the ruling states, despite Hinojosa offering to comply with Texas confidentiality protections.
On Oct. 19, Hinojosa filed a lawsuit against Abbott for refusing to let her inspect the documents.
Hinojosa noted some of the emails had been sent to The Texas Newsroom.
The governor’s office provided nearly 1,400 pages of emails to the outlet; all but 200 pages were unredacted or blacked out.
None of the emails have been made public.
Abbott has given Musk’s companies billions of dollars in state grants and tax breaks, per the news release. Musk reportedly benefited from a $1.66 billion tax break after the tech tycoon donated $500,000 to Abbott’s reelection campaign.
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2 to determine whether the court should issue a temporary injunction against Abbott.
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