Key facts
- James appointed Cornell alum Jacqueline Kelly, formerly chief of the civil rights unit in the US attorney's office for the southern district of New York.
- Kelly will serve as outside counsel and report directly to James's office, James said.
- Lawyers for one accused man sought James's removal, alleging prejudice over a post she shared on X before her appointment.
- Judge James R Farrell deferred a ruling, saying all accused men would need to join the removal request.
New York Attorney General Letitia James appointed Jacqueline Kelly, a Cornell alum and former chief of the civil rights unit in the US attorney's office for the southern district of New York, as outside counsel to lead a criminal investigation into 2024 sexual assault allegations at Cornell University, James's office said on November 4.
Kelly will report directly to James's office. James said the investigation would be guided only by the facts, the evidence and the law, and called Kelly a seasoned prosecutor who has overseen numerous cases from investigation through trial. Kelly said all New Yorkers deserve a fair and thorough inquiry and that she would lend her years of experience as a federal prosecutor to the office.
During her tenure in the US attorney's office through 2021, Kelly oversaw criminal investigations including cases involving Sean Combs, the Canadian fashion designer Peter Nygard and Dr Ricardo Cruciani, who faced charges related to sex trafficking and sexual abuse.
The appointment comes a month after Governor Kathy Hochul named James a special prosecutor in the case, saying she had lost faith in the ability of the Tompkins county district attorney, Matthew Van Houten, to oversee the investigation, particularly after his decision not to prosecute in 2024. Hochul said those obligated to protect Jane Doe, including the police, had failed her.
The reopened case centers on allegations by the Cornell student that seven fraternity members drugged and sexually assaulted her over seven hours in October 2024. The lack of arrests, followed by Doe filing a civil lawsuit earlier in the fall, drew public criticism of the university and law enforcement.
Lawyers for one of the accused men have sought to remove James as special prosecutor, alleging prejudice over a post she shared on X before her appointment. In the post, James wrote that what the young woman had been forced to endure was horrific and unacceptable. At a hearing in New York's Sullivan county, Judge James R Farrell considered whether James could impartially oversee the investigation but deferred a decision, indicating all of the accused men would need to join the request before he would rule.