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The Republican Greg Abbott's "Death Star" law, which forbade Democratic-led communities from adopting particular municipal ordinances, has been overturned by a Texas judge.

The ruling was made public by Texas district judge Maya Guerra Gamble in response to a lawsuit filed by the city of Houston.

Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston issued a statement saying, "I am happy that Houston, our legal team, and sister cities were able to obtain this victory for Texas cities. 

"HB 2127 was a power grab by the Legislature and an unjustified and unconstitutional intrusion into the local authority granted to Houston and other home-rule cities by the Texas Constitution," said one critic of the bill.

According to Paige Willey, the Office of the Attorney General's director of communications, the Office has appealed Gamble's ruling.

Despite finding HB 2127 to be unlawful, Willey wrote to Insider that the judge did not enjoin Texans who were disadvantaged by municipal ordinances—which HB 2127 preempts—from enforcing the law. The Office of the Attorney General quickly filed an appeal because the decision was flawed. The impact of the court's declaration will be suspended during the appeal process. Consequently, HB 2127 will become effective on September 1st.

The Death Star legislation also outlawed rules requiring things like water breaks for construction workers, earning it the nickname "the law that kills." In Texas, construction workers and their friends demonstrated against the removal of municipal water break laws, arguing that doing so will increase the incidence of heat-related illnesses and fatalities.​

The Texas AFL-CIO commented on the ruling, calling it "a HUGE win for the working people of Texas, local governments, and communities across our state." "While we anticipate an appeal, it is still obvious that this law is an unacceptable violation of Texans' and cities' rights."