A judge has sided with state Rep. Gina Hinojosa after the Democratic gubernatorial candidate sued last week for access to unredacted versions of emails between Gov. Greg Abbott's office and billionaire business owner Elon Musk.
State District Judge Catherine Mauzy issued an order Monday directing the governor's office to provide access to Hinojosa by 10 a.m. this Thursday.
The judge wrote that the Democrat "has an immediate legal right to access the requested documents," referencing highly redacted records Abbott's office previously shared with The Texas Newsroom.
Abbott's office has appealed the ruling. Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris called the lawsuit "a baseless stunt and nothing more than an act of desperation."
"State Representative Gina Hinojosa is abusing her official capacity as an outgoing lawmaker for political purposes," Mahaleris wrote. "The Office of the Governor's appeal automatically halts the trial court judge's order, and the Office has filed a motion to dismiss the baseless lawsuit in its entirety."
As a state representative, Hinojosa argues she has the right to see the communications between Gov. Abbott and Musk.
After Hinojosa's initial filing on Oct. 19, Abbott's lawyers also characterized the lawsuit as politically motivated. The governor himself called it an attempt to "get attention" for the Democrat's campaign.
The dispute stemmed from The Texas Newsroom's 2025 reporting on its efforts to obtain communications involving Abbott's office and Musk's businesses, which have an extensive footprint in Texas.
The governor's office initially fought releasing the correspondence, citing protections for confidential legal and policymaking discussions, among other exceptions to the state's public records law.
Abbott's office also invoked a privacy exception for information it described as "intimate and embarrassing."
After The Texas Newsroom's initial records request last summer, the governor's office ultimately shared 1,374 pages of communications. However, all but about 200 pages were entirely blacked out. Many of the readable documents were already public or revealed little about Musk's dealings with the state government.
Hinojosa has also questioned the relationship between Abbott's political donors and companies receiving state support.
A hearing is scheduled for Nov. 2 at 9 a.m. to consider Abbott's appeal.
Early voting in Texas continues through Friday, Oct. 30. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.
The Texas Newsroom is a public radio journalism collaboration that includes NPR, KERA in North Texas, Houston Public Media, KUT in Austin, Texas Public Radio in San Antonio and other stations across the state.