Fastrack · Cornell Defendants Push to Remove Letitia James from Probe

Four men named in a former Cornell student's lawsuit joined a petition Thursday to remove Attorney General Letitia James from the criminal investigation. The petition cites her posts supporting the accuser before she took the case.

7 men are named as defendants; not all are accused of rape.
2 remaining defendants had no lawyers and did not respond.
Sept. 28: James posted support for the accuser on X and Facebook.
Oct. 1: Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James special prosecutor.

Why it matters: The lawsuit, filed in September, alleges men raped the woman at a Chi Phi fraternity party in 2024. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten declined to file charges that year.

Hochul replaced Van Houten after he said he would reopen the case.
On Wednesday, James named former federal prosecutor Jacqueline Kelly as outside counsel.

The story so far

21 steps · since Oct 7

Oct 7Cornell 7 Accused in Alleged Gang Rape Case52 sources
Oct 8–10
Oct 11Cornell 7 Accused of Gang Rape at Campus Party46 sources
Oct 12
Oct 131:27 PMCornell Suspends Fraternity Parties Over Gang Rape Allegations49 sources
Oct 13–17
Oct 2011:43 AMCornell Accuser Says President's Response Left Her Disbelieved24 sources
Oct 20–Nov 4
Nov 5Cornell Defendants Push to Remove Letitia James from ProbeYou are hereLatest

How 7 sources split on this story

Source landscape

Factuality

High

Mixed

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Strong LeftLeftLean LeftCenterLean RightRightStrong Right

Political Bias

Coverage by lean% of 7 sources

7 sources · 9 articles · 43% Center coverage

Where they split: The parties dispute whether James' pre-appointment posts amount to prejudging the case or, as she says, an expression of empathy.

Center coverage, 3 sources: The center frames the story as defendants widening a court challenge to who controls the criminal investigation.

CTV News4d4 Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation WESH 2 News4d4 Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation WKBN Youngstown4d4 Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation

Left coverage, 2 sources: The left frames the story as a procedural legal fight over a reopened rape investigation, giving weight to the state's defense of Hochul's appointment.

The Independent4dA single social media post could get Letitia James thrown off the explosive Cornell rape case The Boston Globe4dFour Cornell lawsuit defendants join effort to oust Letitia James from criminal investigation

Right coverage, 2 sources: The right frames the story around defense lawyers' bias accusations against James, noting President Donald Trump's criticism of her appointment.

Washington Examiner4dFour Cornell defendants join push to remove Letitia James from investigation Just the News4dTwo more of the accused Cornell 7 join effort to remove Letitia James from leading investigation

What’s next: A judge heard arguments last week and set a Thursday deadline to learn whether the other defendants backed removal.

Defense lawyer Andrew Miltenberg said Kelly's hiring leaves James' ultimate authority unchanged.
Will the judge remove James from the investigation?
Will a grand jury ultimately hear evidence in the case?