A lawyer for one of the seven men accused of participating in a Cornell University gang rape has called for the special prosecutor on the case to recuse herself over past public comments.
The lawyer had said a social media post from New York Attorney General Letitia James throws into question her investigation’s “integrity and independence”.
In the 28 September post, James wrote that “what this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable” and told survivors that “we stand with you”.
The university’s administration is under fire over its alleged mishandling of the October 2024 incident and, according to US media, now faces a no-confidence vote by Cornell faculty.
The university’s Faculty Senate, a governing body comprised of professors and other academic staff, will vote on a resolution of no confidence next week, according to reports. Cornell is an Ivy League university, alongside Harvard and Yale, and its faculty includes Nobel laureates and other distinguished researchers.
A majority no-confidence vote would be a largely symbolic gesture, signalling the broader faculty’s discontent and applying pressure on university leadership to act.
Cornell University announced on Tuesday that it was hiring Sally Yates, a former deputy attorney general, to lead an independent review of the university’s practices and procedures on sexual assault and related conduct.
“Yates and her team will conduct a detailed review of the University’s response to the allegations involving Jane Doe”, the university said in a statement, “including whether Cornell followed its policies and procedures in responding to the matter”.
Allegations made in a lawsuit against seven men and the university have rocked the campus in New York state, with hundreds of students and faculty members gathering there on Monday in protest, and sparked anger across the country.
