Judge weighs removing Letitia James from Cornell 7 investigation over her social media posts

A state judge is set to consider whether social media posts by New York’s attorney general should disqualify her from leading a criminal investigation into gang rape allegations at Cornell University.Attorney General Letitia James was appointed special prosecutor to oversee a renewed criminal probe earlier this month after a former Cornell student filed a lawsuit alleging that she was raped by several men at a fraternity party. Jane Doe said in her lawsuit that some of the men pressured her into using ketamine and marijuana and that she drank alcohol that left her too intoxicated to consent before the alleged gang rape in October 2024. Within days of James’ appointment, lawyers for two of men named as defendants in Jane Doe‘s lawsuit filed challenges, one that Judge James R. Farrell will hear on Thursday and the other in Tompkins County, where Cornell is located.The men argue that James is biased because she expressed support for the accuser in social media posts days before she was appointed to the case.James' office argued in a court filing that the challenge is ‘procedurally defective and substantively meritless’ (Getty)“What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable,” James posted to X and Facebook on Sept. 28 alongside a link to a news article about the lawsuit. “I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.”Gov. Kathy Hochul signed an executive order on Oct. 1 that took the case away from the local prosecutor, Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who declined to bring charges in 2024, and named James as special prosecutor.James, a Democrat, is not expected to attend Thursday’s court hearing in Monticello, about 72 miles (116 kilometers) northwest of Manhattan.Andrew Miltenberg, a lawyer for the man whose case is being heard, wrote that James' social media post “has unequivocally demonstrated a bias and presumption of guilt against the defendants” named in Jane Doe’s lawsuit.Miltenberg has requested that Farrell order Hochul to appoint a special prosecutor “who is free from actual or perceived conflicts of interest or bias.”James' office said in a court filing that the challenge is “procedurally defective and substantively meritless,” and argued that courts have previously ruled that the governor is free to exercise her executive power as she chooses, including in appointing a special prosecutor.Chalk messages reading ‘1300 reports in residence halls’ and ‘No Justice’ are written on a sidewalk at the Ag Quad in Ithaca, New York, US, October 14, 2026 (Reuters)“While Petitioner relies on the AG’s remarks in a single social media post as proof that the various ills he fears will come to pass, such speculative and conclusory claims of harm — premised entirely on his own mischaracterization of the AG’s statements — are insufficient for hardship,” Assistant Attorney General Kaitlin Vigars wrote.James declined to comment on the social media posts at a news conference announcing her appointment. Hochul reiterated her support for James, saying she’d thoroughly investigate.“I have every confidence in our attorney general to do what she has always done: Look at the facts, examine the record, draw the proper conclusions,” Hochul said. “That’s exactly what’s going to happen in this case.”James is known for a number of high-profile cases, including against the National Rifle Association and President Donald Trump. James labeled Trump a “con man” and “carnival barker” and vowed to shine a “bright light into every dark corner of his real estate dealings.” She also headed up a civil investigation that led to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s resignation over sexual harassment allegations.