Judge Hears Bid to Remove Letitia James as Special Prosecutor in Cornell Assault Case
Photo: Fox NewsA Sullivan County Supreme Court judge heard arguments Thursday in Monticello on whether New York Attorney General Letitia James should be removed as special prosecutor in the reopened criminal investigation into an alleged sexual assault at Cornell University. Judge James R. Farrell ended the hearing without an immediate ruling. Gillio Lopes, one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity members named in a lawsuit by a woman identified as Jane Doe, filed the petition. Lopes has denied sexually assaulting her. His lawyers, including Stuart Bernstein, argue James showed bias and a presumption of guilt in a Sept. 28 post on X saying she stood with the accuser and calling what the woman endured horrific. Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed James three days later under an Oct. 1 executive order that removed the case from Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who had declined to prosecute in November 2024 and reopened the case after public backlash. James filed an opposition saying the claims are not justiciable and that Lopes's lawyers lack standing.
Left-leaning outlets NBC News and CNN frame the hearing around the legal fight. NBC leads with Bernstein's argument that James's appointment is no longer "viable" and gives her opposition on standing. CNN's headline stresses that the judge sharply questioned the lawyers seeking her removal. Right-leaning Fox News also reports the lack of a ruling, but its headline says the judge grilled the attorney general's office. Fox names Andrew Miltenberg as Lopes's lawyer, describes the allegations as drugging and rape, and leads with the alleged bias. The outlets agree on the post, the petition and the absence of a ruling. They differ on whose position the judge pressed hardest. ZeroHedge adds the most detail on the Hochul order and Van Houten's earlier decision. Fox's Daily Mail counterpart addressed a separate matter, James's silence at a press conference about immigration-related charges.
How the sides differ Left sources stress the judge's questioning of the challengers and James's legal objections; right sources stress the alleged bias and the judge's pressure on James's office.
Headline, comparison and summary written by AI from the articles below. AI can make mistakes, so check the original articles before relying on a detail.
NBC News leads with the defense claim that James is no longer a viable prosecutor, quoting her post and her legal objections; CNN emphasizes the judge's sharp questioning of the lawyers seeking her removal.
ZeroHedge centers on the defendant's request and James's post, adding a timeline of Hochul's executive order and the earlier decision by District Attorney Van Houten not to prosecute.
Fox News leads with the defense claim of pre-appointment bias, names attorney Andrew Miltenberg, and says the judge pressed the attorney general's office; the hearing ended without a ruling.