An Albemarle County Circuit Court judge has set aside a subpoena issued by Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli to the University of Virginia seeking documents related to the work of climate scientist and former university professor Michael Mann, the Washington Post has reported.
Washington Post coverage here.
Judge Paul M. Peatross Jr. ruled that the subpoena failed to state a “reason to believe” that Mann had committed fraud, and thus that U.Va. does not have to respond to Cuccinelli’s subpoena for records linked to grant-funded research that Mann was involved with. The court’s ruling validates the position taken by the University to fight compliance with the subpoena, and the protests by faculty members, scientists, civil libertarians, and public interest advocates who characterized Cuccinelli’s move as an attack on climate science and academic freedom. It shows that those who unwisely advocated that Mann and the University should surrender to Cuccinelli without putting up a fight missed the essential point.
See also this post on Climate Progress.
Earlier CSW posts:
May 28: University petitions court to quash Cuccinelli subpoena of climate scientist Michael Mann’s papers
May 21: Nine ways to undermine Virginia AG Cuccinelli’s McCarthyite demand for scientists’ communication
May 5: Free the Cuccinelli 40: Virginia AG demands e-mails of Michael Mann and 39 other scientists
July 6: Turning the tables: Virginia AG Cuccinelli under investigation for climate probe by Greenpeace
July 1: Interview with Michael Mann on the Penn State Final Report and the war on climate scientists