Governor Jay Inslee on Thursday night vetoed a bill that would’ve shielded the emails, text message, calendars and other records of legislators from public scrutiny.

Inslee’s decision came amid widespread public pressure against the legislation, which lawmakers ramrodded through both state houses.

Now, the bill is slated to go back to the legislature for hearings

In the past few days, Gov. Inslee's office received thousands of phone calls and emails against the bill. Newspapers across the state printed front page editorials urging Inslee to make the right decision. Members of both the regional and local councils, as well as Attorney General Bob Ferguson, got on the anti-secrecy train.

Moments before Inslee’s veto, House and State Senate Democrats signed a letter to the governor standing by the bill but regretting the “hurried process” that got it passed.

"I believe the Legislature’s overwhelming vote on the bill was a good faith attempt to increase disclosure and transparency. Though I expressed concerns about the outline of the bill, I did tell legislators I would let the bill become law if they delivered it with enough votes to override a veto. However, that was before I saw the process which failed to meet public expectations for openness and delivered a bill that fell short," Inslee said in a statement.

Senate Bill 6617 would hide records, including emails, texts or calendars created by legislators before July 1. Records created after July 1 would have been disclosable, including communication with lobbyists and final disciplinary records. Exceptions include correspondence between legislators and with constituents.

The bill stems from a lawsuit filed by news organizations in September claiming legislators violated public records law by refusing to turn over emails, schedules and texts. Legislators have maintained that they are exempt from those disclosures.

In January, a judge ruled partially in favor of those organizations, saying individual legislators are subject to the Public Records Act, but that the administrative office for the Legislature is not.