Cornell Hires Sally Yates to Review Its Handling of Sexual Misconduct Reports
Cornell University trustees have hired former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates to lead an independent review of how the university handles sexual misconduct complaints.
The trustees announced the appointment on October 6, 2026. Yates, now in private practice at King & Spalding, will conduct the review with her team, according to the university's announcement Associated Press.
The mandate covers Title IX intake and investigation of sexual assault and sexual harassment reports (Title IX is the federal law that requires schools to address sex discrimination), the disciplinary process, and whether campus police responses were adequate The Guardian. It will also examine the handling of a specific complaint brought by a former student identified as Jane Doe, and oversight of fraternities, sororities and other campus groups.
That complaint is the focal point. Jane Doe told Cornell campus police in November 2024 that multiple Chi Phi fraternity brothers sexually assaulted her the prior month after pressuring her into drinking and taking drugs The Guardian. No criminal charges have been filed in connection with the alleged 2024 assault. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell was shut down after the allegations. The university said it expelled some students and suspended others in connection with the matter.
Parallel proceedings continue on three tracks, each with different rules and decision-makers. Jane Doe sued Cornell University, seven former students, the fraternity and others over the alleged assault. During Cornell's Title IX investigation, some of the accused students contended the sexual activity was consensual The Guardian. New York's attorney general is conducting a criminal investigation related to the allegations. New York's governor called for an independent review of Cornell's handling of the matter.
Yates served as deputy attorney general in the Obama administration and previously served as the top federal prosecutor in Atlanta. In January 2017, as acting U.S. attorney general, she directed Justice Department attorneys not to defend Donald Trump's refugee and immigration ban and was then fired. Her work at King & Spalding includes independent investigations for outside organizations and companies. She previously led an inquiry into alleged abuse and misconduct, including harassment and coercion claims, at the National Women's Soccer League.
The broader context here is institutional rather than purely legal. Campus adjudication, criminal exposure and civil liability now run on separate timelines, with different evidentiary standards and different decision-makers. An outside review commissioned by trustees does not displace the attorney general's criminal investigation or the civil suit, nor does it reopen expulsion and suspension determinations by itself. Its leverage is diagnostic. It can map where a report stalled, who had authority over Greek-life organizations, and whether campus police response aligned with Title IX procedure.
Looking at what this means for Cornell, the test will be scope discipline and access. A review limited to case-file chronology would answer less than trustees have promised. The stated inclusion of disciplinary mechanics, police response and fraternity oversight suggests an audit of systems, not only of the Doe complaint. For practitioners, the documents to watch are the charter, the degree of access to personnel files and investigative records, and whether findings and recommendations are released in full.
