Nature rains on Cuccinelli: "The University of Virginia should fight a witch-hunt by the state's attorney general." - Physics Today slams "blatantly political move"; State Senator labels it "ludicrous and frivolous."

Cuccinelli's actions against Mann hark back to an era when tobacco companies smeared researchers as part of a sophisticated public relations strategy to raise doubts over the science showing that tobacco caused cancer, and delayed the introduction of smoking curbs for decades. Researchers found themselves bogged down in responding to subpoenas and legal challenges, which deterred others from the field. Climate-change deniers have adopted similar strategies with alacrity and...