Prosecutors can have opinions. They shouldn’t announce verdicts. On Sept. 28, New York Attorney General Letitia James posted that what the Cornell University accuser “has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable,” adding, “To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you.” Three days later, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) named James special prosecutor in that case. It wasn’t her first time talking before she had evidence.

The allegations are unproven, and the accused are presumed innocent. A former student alleges in a lawsuit that she was coerced into taking drugs at a Chi Phi house in 2024, then sexually assaulted and gang raped. Seven men are named. One of them, Gillio Lopes, denies it, and no criminal charges have been announced. The Tompkins County, New York, district attorney, who declined to pursue charges in 2024, says the accuser’s sworn statement that November did not allege she was drugged against her will or gang raped. I don’t know what happened in that house. James hadn’t been handed the case when she posted.