Skip to content

Crime & JusticeDeveloping

Defense lawyers seek to remove special prosecutor Letitia James from Cornell case

By

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 8 outlets. No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

10 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Tudor-style fraternity house with a Cornell University Police vehicle parked outside.
Image via NBC NewsHow images are chosenReport this image

New York Attorney General Letitia James was named special prosecutor in the Cornell University case involving former members of the Chi Phi fraternity. The Jane Doe lawsuit alleges a gang rape at a fraternity house. Lawyers for two accused former members have asked that James be removed from the case, saying her public comments show she prejudged the allegations. James has said her comments expressed empathy for the alleged victim. A watchdog group, the National Legal and Policy Center, has filed a bar ethics complaint asking that she recuse herself or be removed, according to the complaint.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Letitia James was named special prosecutor in the Cornell University case involving former Chi Phi fraternity members.

    Reported byLeft1Right1Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    TheGrio
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire, Just the News

  2. Lawyers for two accused former fraternity members have asked that James be removed from the case.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft3Right1Far Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    ABC News, NBC News, The New York Times
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire, Just the News

  3. Days before her appointment, James posted on X that she stood with the alleged victim, writing “We stand with you.”

    One side only: the rightReported byFar Right3See the outletsHide the outlets
    Far Right
    Fox News, The Daily Wire, Just the News

  4. A watchdog group, the National Legal and Policy Center, has filed a bar ethics complaint asking that James recuse herself or be removed from the case.

    One side only: the rightReported byRight1Far Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Right
    New York Post
    Far Right
    The Daily Wire, Just the News

  5. James has said her comments showed empathy for the alleged victim.

    One outletJust the News· Far Right

What is contested

Where accounts differ

Points the coverage does not agree on, and who says what.

  • James’s public comments show she prejudged the allegations against the accused men.

    Defense lawyers and the National Legal and Policy Center say the comments show prejudgment and create an appearance of bias; James says her comments showed empathy.

How each side tells it

Compare views

Both sides report that lawyers for two accused former Cornell fraternity members want Letitia James removed as special prosecutor over her public comments. Right-side outlets add a bar ethics complaint filed by a watchdog group, while left-side outlets focus on the defense motions and the appointment itself.

  • the left

    4 outlets

    Left-side headlines lead with the defendants’ motions to remove James and with questions about her appointment, often quoting the defense’s claim of bias.

    Second defendant in Cornell fraternity case seeks New York AG’s recusal
    NBC NewsLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    No coverage yet

    No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

  • the right

    4 outlets

    Right-side headlines lead with the bar ethics complaint or defense motions and use sharp verbs such as hit with and boot; Far Right outlets stress the complaint and the bias charge most.

    NY AG Letitia James Loaded verb“hit with”The phrase presents a routine filing as a forceful blow against James, which the complaint itself does not establish.More neutral: facesDisagree with this highlight? bar complaint for ‘flagrant violation’ in ‘Cornell 7’ case: ‘She must recuse herself’
    New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left0

    No loaded words in its own voice.

  • Center

    Has not covered this story.

  • Right4

    raising questionsexplosivehit withboot her from

In the outlets’ own words

  • Vague attribution

    raising questionsMore neutral: state the question and who is asking

    The writer is raising the question while pretending someone else did.

    …Chi Phi fraternity members named in an explosive sex abuse lawsuit is raising questions about the appointment of New York Attorney General Letitia James as an…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)Just the News (Far Right)

  • Sensational language

    explosiveMore neutral: sex abuse lawsuit

    The adjective adds drama that the reported facts do not establish, since the lawsuit’s claims are still allegations.

    …for one of the former Cornell University Chi Phi fraternity members named in an explosive sex abuse lawsuit is raising questions about the appointment of New York Attorney…

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

  • Loaded verb

    hit withMore neutral: faces

    The phrase presents a routine filing as a forceful blow against James, which the complaint itself does not establish.

    NY AG Letitia James hit with bar complaint for ‘flagrant violation’ in ‘Cornell 7’ case: ‘She must recuse herself’

    Used byNew York Post (Right)

  • Loaded verb

    boot her fromMore neutral: remove her from

    The colloquial phrase makes a request to remove her from the case sound like forcible expulsion.

    Letitia James faces new push to boot her from Cornell rape probe over alleged bias: court docs

    Used byFox News (Far Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

4 outlets

Leads with

  • defense motions to disqualify James
  • James’s comments as evidence of bias
  • her appointment as prosecutor
See the 4 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The New York TimesLeft

    Winston Lee, Accused in Cornell Sexual Assault Case, Is Related to Former South Korean Prime Minister

    Lawyers for Winston Lee, the grandson of a former premier of South Korea, said statements by the New York attorney general may have sown prejudice against him.

    Read at The New York Times (opens in a new tab)
  • TheGrioLeft

    ‘A bias’: Defendant in Cornell case questions Letitita James appointment as prosecutor as calls for justice continue

    Gillio Lopes, who has denied the allegations against him, claims James’ public comments show a “presumption of guilt.” As continued

    Read at TheGrio (opens in a new tab)
  • NBC NewsLeft

    Second defendant in Cornell fraternity case seeks New York AG’s recusal

    Attorneys representing Winston Lee, one of the former fraternity members accused in the Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit, filed a motion Friday in criminal court seeking to disqualify New York Attorney General Letitia James from any future grand jury proceedings.

    Read at NBC News (opens in a new tab)
  • ABC NewsLeft

    2nd accused Cornell student wants New York AG removed from Jane Doe case

    A second defendant in Jane Doe's lawsuit alleging gang rape at a Cornell fraternity house is asking a judge to remove New York AG Letitia James from the case.

    Read at ABC News (opens in a new tab)

From the center

0 outlets

No center outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the right

4 outlets

Leads with

  • bar ethics complaint against James
  • James’s post as proof of prejudgment
  • defense motions for her removal
See the 4 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Articles you open from here build My Mix, a private picture of how your reading spreads across the spectrum, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    3 hr 20 min later

    Its first report, Oct 9, 3:02 PM EDT

  • Center

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

  • Right

    First to report

    Fox News, Oct 9, 11:41 AM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. Fox NewsFar RightOct 9, 11:41 AM EDT
  2. ABC NewsLeftOct 9, 3:02 PM EDT
  3. NBC NewsLeftOct 9, 4:40 PM EDT
  4. TheGrioLeftOct 9, 6:09 PM EDT
  5. The New York TimesLeftOct 10, 1:01 AM EDT
  6. The Daily WireFar RightOct 10, 9:33 AM EDT
  7. New York PostRightOct 10, 11:18 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out. Just the News gave only a date, so it is not placed.

Read next

Help someone else find the truth beneath the surface

Most people see one side of a story. Share this one, so they can see how every side is telling it and decide for themselves.

Email it

Seen a mistake? Tell us what is wrong with this page