Emergency Motion Halts Identification of Source
A Texas Supreme Court issued an emergency order Friday blocking a court deposition that was scheduled to help identify the source of fake transgender student brochures and text messages sent to families in Texas. The ruling came approximately 15 minutes before the deposition was set to begin.
The legal effort was initiated by the Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT), an advocacy group whose name appeared on the fraudulent materials. According to TENT attorney Mimi Marziani, the newly registered Texas Transgender Student Union LLC filed the emergency request with the state’s highest court to stop the proceedings.
TENT has stated it had no involvement with the materials and is attempting to identify who is responsible for using its name in the campaign. The Texas Transgender Student Union LLC has admitted responsibility for creating and distributing the brochures, but Marziani noted there is currently no direct evidence connecting that group to the text message campaign.
Names Linked to Text Campaign Denied Involvement
During a media briefing on Friday, Marziani disclosed new information from court documents that revealed two names connected to the text message campaign: the Republican Women Caucus Fund and an individual named John Braun.
The name John Braun is shared by a Washington state senator and congressional candidate. However, Marziani stressed that there is no other evidence from the court proceedings confirming that the person named in the documents is the same individual as the Washington politician. She clarified that the information revealed relates specifically to the text messages, not the physical brochures.
Both the Republican Women Caucus Fund and John Braun have denied involvement in the text message campaign.
Criminal Investigation Proceeds
The Texas Supreme Court has set a Monday morning deadline for responses to the emergency request that blocked Friday’s deposition. The court will consider these responses before making further determinations on the matter.
West Texas District Attorney Sarah Stagner is conducting a criminal investigation into the distribution of the fake materials. TENT plans to cooperate with Stagner’s team as the probe continues.