Overview

• In early June, Abbott’s office declared over 13 hours of email exchanges with Musk confidential and formally petitioned Paxton for permission to keep them secret.
• The governor’s team argues the records fall under common-law privacy protecting “intimate or embarrassing” information, including legal discussions and investment strategies.
• SpaceX lawyer Kevin Bagnall supported the move, warning that disclosure could expose commercial details that would inflict competitive harm.
• Paxton’s office has up to 45 business days to decide, but a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling effectively bars lower courts from enforcing open-records requests against top officials.
• Critics say the dispute highlights Elon Musk’s growing influence on Texas policy and signals an erosion of transparency in government–business communications.