For Immediate Release
January 7, 2014

Contact: Craig Richardson
202-758-8301
[email protected]

On Thursday, January 9, 2014, the Virginia Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in ATI v. UVA. In January 2011, the Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal), under its old name, the American Tradition Institute (ATI), filed a FOIA request with the University of Virginia for e-mails of former professor Dr. Michael Mann. He is the author of the infamous and widely-discredited “hockey stick” that claimed to show little variability in global temperatures from 1000AD until the middle of the 20th century, with temperatures rising dramatically after that period. When the University of Virginia declined to provide the e-mails, citing a right under FOIA to keep research data secret, E&E Legal went to court to force them to release them. Dr. Mann was permitted to intervene in the suit and is fighting to oppose allowing the public to see the data and the research-related e-mails.

The trial court held that every email E&E Legal sought can be withheld because the University owns it. This decision set-up the Virginia Supreme Court to decide the issue and in September, the Court agreed to hear the case. E&E Legal will argue that the marketplace for ideas is not very different from the marketplace for goods and services, and unless the emails give UVA a competitive advantage over other researchers, they must be released.

ATI v. UVA is the final case of the day on the VA Supreme Court docket for January 9th, and the case is expected to be heard at approximately 11:30 a.m. with thirty minutes scheduled for oral arguments.

WHAT: Opportunity to speak with Lead Attorney and E&E Legal General Counsel regarding the VA Supreme Court Case ATI v. UVA prior to and following the January 9th VA Supreme Court oral arguments.

WHEN: Immediately. To schedule an interview with Dr. Schnare, contact E&E Legal Executive Director Craig Richardson at 202-758-8301 or [email protected].

WHERE: Phone interviews or in-person in Richmond, Virginia on Thursday, January 9th following the oral arguments, which will likely conclude by 1:00 p.m.

WHO: Dr David Schnare, E&E Legal General Counsel and Lead Counsel for plaintiff in the ATI v. UVA Virginia Supreme Court Case.

For more information on the case, visit here.

The Energy & Environment Legal Institute (E&E Legal) is a 501(c)(3) organization engaged in strategic litigation, policy research, and public education on important energy and environmental issues. Primarily through its petition litigation and transparency practice areas, E&E Legal seeks to correct onerous federal and state policies that hinder the economy, increase the cost of energy, eliminate jobs, and do little or nothing to improve the environment.

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