A Texas judge has ordered Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to give his Democratic rival access to nearly 1,400 pages of unredacted emails he sent to tech billionaire and top GOP donor Elon Musk, Houston Public Media reports.
The order comes after state Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the state’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate, sued last week seeking access to the communications, which Abbott’s office called “intimate and embarrassing.” Abbott’s team fought to keep the emails confidential, citing legal protections for privileged and policymaking communications.
However, State District Judge Catherine Mauzy was unconvinced, giving Abbott until 10 a.m. this Thursday to grant Hinojosa access to the emails, according to Houston Public Media.
Abbott’s office appealed the ruling, the news outlet reports. A hearing on the appeal is scheduled for the morning of Monday, Nov. 2.
In a statement to Houston Public Media, Abbott spokesperson Andrew Mahaleris called the lawsuit “a baseless stunt.”
“State Representative Gina Hinojosa is abusing her official capacity as an outgoing lawmaker for political purposes,” Mahaleris said. “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.”
Hinojosa’s campaign filed an open records request for the documents based on a 2025 attempt by the Texas Tribune to obtain communications between Abbott’s office and Musk, who has ownership in stakes in multiple Texas-based companies, including Tesla and SpaceX.
Abbott’s team ultimately shared 1,374 pages of communications, although all but 200 pages were entirely blacked out.
In an emailed statement, Hinojosa accused Abbott of selling out Texas to billionaire donors, adding that her legal fight for the records is about ensuring transparency for Texas voters and taxpayers.
“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. “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.”
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