The University of Virginia on Thursday asked a circuit court judge to reject Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s demand for records on climate scientist Michael Mann, a former professor at the Charlottesville school and creator of the controversial “hockey stick” global warming graph.

Cuccinelli last month issued the university a civil investigative demand — akin to a subpoena — as part of a fraud investigation related to five taxpayer-funded research grants. The attorney general sought a broad body of documents, including correspondences between the scientist and his colleagues.