// BBC WORLD NEWS — MONDO
Lawyer for one of Cornell 7 calls for special prosecutor to be removed over previous comments
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.
The BBC has reached out to Cornell University for comment.
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.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul last week appointed James as a special prosecutor to investigate the case and how law enforcement and the university initially responded to the allegations made by a woman identified in the lawsuit as Jane Doe.
Jane Doe has accused the university of failing to protect her, after she was allegedly drugged and raped by the men for several hours at a fraternity party.