Judge Catherine Mauzy of Travis County, Texas, has ordered Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to release more than 1,000 pages of unredacted correspondence with Elon Musk and representatives of his companies. Abbott’s election rival, Democratic Party candidate Gina Hinojosa, had filed the lawsuit seeking the documents. The governor has appealed the ruling, which could delay the release of the materials until after the election.
The dispute began in 2025, when Texas Newsroom requested correspondence between the governor’s office and Musk and employees of his businesses. Abbott’s administration released 1,374 pages of documents, but nearly all of them, except about 200, were completely blacked out.
The governor’s office argued at the time that the materials contained confidential business information, internal discussions of state policy and communications protected by law. SpaceX attorneys also warned that releasing the correspondence could harm the company’s competitive position.
On Sept. 29, Hinojosa filed a separate request for access to the full documents, citing a provision of the Texas Government Code that allows legislators to view certain confidential information for legislative work. After Abbott’s administration refused, she filed a lawsuit on Oct. 19. Judge Mauzy sided with her, finding that as a member of the state legislature, the incumbent governor’s rival has the right to review the correspondence in connection with oversight of public spending and economic development agreements.
The case concerns, among other things, financial support granted to Musk’s companies in Texas. Among the benefits cited is a $1.66 billion tax break package tied to SpaceX’s planned Terafab semiconductor project. In August, state officials also approved a $30 million grant for the expansion of SpaceX’s semiconductor operations. Starlink, in turn, received about $110 million under a state program to expand broadband internet access.
In May, Musk donated $500,000 to Abbott’s reelection campaign.
Editor: JŁ
