Overview
- The Texas Supreme Court issued a unanimous opinion on Friday that reinstated a trial court dismissal and barred environmental groups from suing to force public access to Boca Chica Beach during SpaceX launches.
- Justice Rebeca Huddle wrote that the 2009 constitutional amendment constitutionalized public beach access but did not expand enforcement to private parties, so the suit was dismissed with prejudice and cannot be refiled.
- The lawsuit, filed in 2021 by SaveRGV and later joined by the Sierra Club and the Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, had sought to void a 2013 state law that allows temporary closures for safety during rocket flights.
- The Attorney General’s Office defended the 2013 statute and praised the ruling, while the opinion noted the tribe’s separate claim that closures interfere with religious practice could be pursued in other suits.
- Practical effects include continued legal clearance for safety closures during launches under the FAA‑conditioned framework, ongoing federal litigation over a SpaceX land exchange, and a likely shift by plaintiffs to tribal or federal claims.