New York Attorney General Letitia James, a Howard Law Graduate, Appointed Special Prosecutor in Cornell Rape Case

New York Attorney General Letitia James, a graduate of Howard University School of Law, has been named special prosecutor in the Cornell University rape case. According to ABC News, Governor Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she had issued an executive order appointing James to the case, which involves an alleged gang rape at a Cornell fraternity in 2024.

The woman, identified in court documents as Jane Doe, says she was drugged and gang-raped by seven members of Cornell’s Chi Phi fraternity. The order takes the case away from Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten, who has faced growing criticism over how his office first handled her allegations. According to the Washington Examiner, Hochul acted days after Van Houten reopened the case based on new evidence filed by the woman.

In a statement reported by ABC News, Hochul said new information raised serious questions about the Cornell Police Department’s investigation and the district attorney’s decision not to prosecute. She said this had “undercut my faith, and the public’s faith” in the district attorney’s ability to handle the case. As special prosecutor, James will investigate and, if warranted, prosecute any offenses and present evidence to a grand jury, according to the Washington Examiner.

Van Houten said he supports the governor’s decision to remove him and pledged to cooperate with the attorney general, ABC7 New York reported. A Cornell spokesperson told CBS News that the university supports assigning the case to James’ office.

James is the 67th Attorney General of New York and the first Black person and first woman elected to the office. She is a graduate of Lehman College/CUNY and Howard University School of Law, according to NYSUT. She now brings that training to a case being closely watched by college campuses nationwide.