New fronts open

In a related move, the American Tradition Institute submitted a Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to UVA that seeks the same broad range of records as the subpoenas. The Prince William County Circuit Court ruled in the University's favor in this suit in September 2012, a ruling that was upheld by the Virginia Supreme Court in April 2014.

Similar burdensome and expansive requests were recently made by groups in Wisconsin and Michigan, where universities pledged to protect academic freedom and temper their responses accordingly. In response to a letter from UCS and eleven other groups, UVA President Teresa Sullivan pledged to use “all available exemptions” when responding to the FOIA request and to balance the public interest in academic freedom against the public interest in disclosure.

Scientists and academics—and even some critics who reject the scientific consensus on climate change—agree that these misguided and inappropriate attacks must stop. There has likewise been a chorus of condemnation from the press, political leaders, and legal scholars and organizations.

UCS has assembled a timeline of events, editorial comments, and statements from scientists, academics and other groups related to these attacks.