On Tuesday, UVA reached an agreement with a conservative advocacy group to turn over nearly 9,000 documents related to the work of former University climate scientist Michael Mann. The American Tradition Institute (ATI) requested the documents in January under Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Much like Virginia Attorney Gen Ken Cuccinelli (R), who launched a failed fraud investigation into Mann’s funding, ATI requested information on Mann’s grants, as well as computer algorithms and correspondence.
The agreement comes as a victory for ATI, which has grown frustrated with the pace of UVA’s document releases. ATI claims the University has made 20 percent of its research available since the group’s initial request four months ago. The school has until August 22 to turn over all relevant records, according to Tuesday’s agreement.
UVA President Teresa Sullivan assured the American Association of University Professors last month that the school would not make the ATI’s investigation easy.
“While the University is, of course, committed to complying with the requirements of the law, I wish to reassure you that this commitment will be carried out to the fullest extent possible consistent with the interests of faculty in academic freedom and scholarship,” wrote Sullivan.
Cuccinelli’s case was shot down by the Albemarle County Circuit Court after Judge Paul Peatross ruled the attorney general failed to adequately demonstrate fraud. However, Cuccinelli successfully appealed his case to the state Supreme Court. No trial date has been set, but the court will likely hear the case sometime this fall.