Judge orders group behind trans mailers to deposition

The origins of a transgender resources pamphlet now at the center of a courtroom battle. I am upset about it because it feels like they're weaponizing my feelings as a parent, that they're using my children as a way to anger me to the polls. Families across Texas have reported receiving these pamphlets in the mail addressed to students in the household. The Transgender Education Network of Texas denies sending them out, though its name appears multiple times inside. They've now taken legal action, filing a pre-suit petition to find out who's responsible. This process lets you ask the judge, hey, let me get some evidence. Let me take some testimony, let me get some documents so I understand who I'm dealing with. And who they're dealing with is the Texas Transgender Student Union, an LLC based in Wyoming. To keep the owner's identity hidden, they've hired Chris Hilton, who helped to defend Attorney General Ken Paxton during his impeachment trial. They're now arguing that what was sent in the mailers was protected by the First Amendment. The argument they're making against Tent is there's a long tradition in this country that you can speak anonymously. That's fine, except not if you're being fraudulent about who you are. On Tuesday, a Travis County judge siding with Tent, approving the organization to question a representative from the Texas Transgender Student Union. The court ordered that the LLC must provide a witness that can testify to the identity and owners of the company. Tent, obviously, is trying to get this resolved before the election date, so all this will be out in the air before people finish the voting process. But it could be easier said than done. Attorneys representing the LLC have plans to appeal the ruling, sending it to appeals court. I think that it seems pretty clear that the intent is probably to impact elections. And the Austin civil courts aren't the only ones looking into it. West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stogner also has opened a criminal investigation into the pamphlets. I'm investigating it as a potential forgery, given that it purports to come from organizations that did not send it, and it appears to be an attempt to harm those organizations.