Politics
Texas group asks judge to uncover who used its name in election mailers
The Transgender Education Network of Texas is seeking permission to question companies connected to mailers and text messages that used its name and photographs. A Travis County hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, but it is not expected to identify who sent the materials or determine whether laws were broken.
A Travis County judge is scheduled to hear arguments Tuesday on whether the Transgender Education Network of Texas can pursue pre-lawsuit discovery to learn who was behind political mailers sent to homes across Texas.
The organization, known as TENT, says its name and photographs appeared in the mailers without its permission. It is asking to question Texas Transgender Student Union LLC, a Wyoming company named on the mailers, as well as a text-messaging company linked to messages that also used TENT’s name and directed recipients to its website.
Pre-lawsuit discovery can allow a potential plaintiff to seek information before deciding whether to file a lawsuit. Tuesday’s hearing is not expected to establish who created or paid for the mailers, or whether anyone violated the law.
The mailers’ origins remain unclear. The name on their return address traces to the Wyoming LLC, which state business records show was formed only weeks before the controversy. The company used a registered-agent service in Sheridan, Wyoming, to set up the business and listed the service’s address as its own.
After a visit to the Sheridan office, the registered-agent company, Northwest Registered Agent, said it was “immediately beginning the process to officially resign” from its role with Texas Transgender Student Union.
A postal permit printed on the mailers is linked to Three Z Printing, an Illinois company. The U.S. Postal Service identified the company as the permit holder, but possession or use of a permit does not establish who produced or funded the mailers. The company is owned by Bill Zerrusen and his three sons, including Matt Zerrusen, who lives in North Texas. The company and family members had not responded to requests for comment as of Monday, Oct. 26.
The mailers have drawn sharply differing reactions online. Some Democratic activists have suggested they were intended to provoke Republican voters, while some Republicans have criticized the flyers’ content. The mailings arrived as transgender-related political ads were airing on television ahead of the election.
The Paxton and Talarico campaigns have said they are not connected to the mailers. The court hearing may allow TENT to pursue information about the companies involved, but it will not resolve the central question of who is responsible.