INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – The Indiana Court of Appeals has rejected Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s assertion that state courts don’t have the authority to require the release of records from his time as Indiana governor.

In its Monday ruling, the court found that Pence’s argument would have rendered Indiana’s public records law “meaningless” as it pertains to the governor and his staff.

The court did rule that Pence’s staff acted within the law when it withheld and redacted several documents that were sought by Indianapolis attorney William Groth. He sued Pence in 2015 seeking emails and documents related to Indiana’s participation in a successful legal challenge to President Barack Obama’s immigration executive order.

The appeals court found that those documents were privileged attorney-client communications.

Pence’s term as Indiana governor ended Monday.