Court backs embattled climate researcher

The University of Virginia will not be forced to hand over thousands of documents, including private emails, written by climate researcher Michael Mann, to a conservative think tank, a court has ruled.

Virginia circuit court judge Paul Sheridan issued the ruling, which has significant implications for universities and researchers, on 17 September. He said faculty communications regarding research were exempt under a provision in Virginia’s public records law that protects information intended to further research on scientific and scholarly issues.