A Sullivan County judge heard oral arguments Thursday to determine whether New York Attorney General Letitia James should be removed as special prosecutor in the reopened criminal investigation into an alleged gang rape at Cornell University.

The proceeding ended without an immediate ruling from Judge James Farrell.

The hearing stems from a challenge filed by defense attorney Andrew Miltenberg, who represents Gillio Lopes, one of the men accused in the case.

Lopes is one of seven former Chi Phi fraternity brothers who are accused in a lawsuit of drugging and raping a female Cornell student at their fraternity house in October 2024.

LETITIA JAMES FACES NEW PUSH TO BOOT HER FROM CORNELL RAPE PROBE OVER ALLEGED BIAS: COURT DOCUMENTS

Defense counsel argued that social media comments posted by James prior to her official appointment as "special prosecutor" demonstrate a pre-existing bias and a presumption of guilt that undermines the prosecution's neutrality.

"What this young woman has been forced to endure is horrific and unacceptable," James had posted on social media. "I’m holding her in my heart and in my prayers. To her, and to all survivors: you’re not alone. We stand with you."

TISH JAMES CONFRONTED ON CAMERA OVER TRUMP'S ACCUSATION OF BIAS IN CORNELL RAPE CASE

Arguing before the court, Miltenberg pointed to those public declarations of support as proof of a pre-determined bias.

"Whether it affects all or just one, either the court determines the statements made by AG James take her out of contention to be neutral party reviewing case or not," Miltenberg argued, calling the initial public statements an "original sin" for the case.

FOLLOW THE FOX TRUE CRIME TEAM ON X

SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST TRUE CRIME NEWS

In a statement sent to Fox News on Thursday, a spokesperson for James' office said, "As indicated in our motion before the court, these claims are without merit. The Office of the Attorney General remains committed to conducting an investigation guided only by the facts, the evidence, and the law."

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE FOX TRUE CRIME HUB

Representing the state, Assistant Attorney General Kaitlin Vigars defended Gov. Kathy Hochul's appointment of James and pushed back against the disqualification effort, emphasizing that public statements alone do not meet the legal threshold for removal.

CORNELL RAPE ALLEGATIONS PROMPT NY ATTORNEY GENERAL LETITIA JAMES TO OPEN ‘ACTIVE CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION’

Vigars argued that to warrant disqualification, there needs to be a showing of actual prejudice rather than speculative claims of bias.

SEND US A TIP

CORNELL SEXUAL ASSAULT CASE REVIVES SCRUTINY OF A LITTLE-KNOWN NEW YORK LAW ON INTOXICATED VICTIMS

Farrell peppered Vigars with questions about the circumstances leading up to James’ appointment, including if Hochul was aware of James’ social media comment, if James and Hochul were standing together when the governor made remarks about the "brave young woman," if that runs afoul of professional conduct, and if the purpose of appointing the AG was to avoid bias.

Farrell also raised broader procedural concerns during the arguments, noting the potential for conflicting legal rulings if challenges proceed piecemeal across jurisdictions.

LISTEN TO THE NEW 'CRIME & JUSTICE WITH DONNA ROTUNNO' PODCAST

"If multiple judges come down with decisions that’s chaos," Farrell said from the bench, "and the court should not fashion chaos."

GET BREAKING NEWS BY EMAIL

Hochul appointed James as special prosecutor on Oct. 1 after stepping in to bypass the local Tompkins County district attorney, who had previously declined to bring charges.

CORNELL RAPE ACCUSER CAN REMAIN 'JANE DOE'; JUDGE WARNS THREATS COULD LEAD TO FEDERAL CHARGES

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

With no decision rendered at the conclusion of Thursday's arguments, the judge is expected to issue a formal written ruling in the coming days on whether James will remain as special prosecutor or if the investigation must be reassigned.

Hochul later said on Thursday that all sexual offense complaints at Cornell University are now being referred to New York State Police, rather than Cornell University Police, unless otherwise requested by that individual.

"Every student deserves to feel safe on their campus," she said in a statement, in part. "And when someone reports sexual assault, they deserve to be heard, treated with compassion, and know their allegations will be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by law enforcement trained to support survivors.

"What Jane Doe described is horrifying. Survivors should be able to trust the institutions responsible for protecting them. We cannot afford to let them down."

I think I speak for everyone when I say that traffic jams are the absolute worst.

There is nothing more infuriating than coming home from work or driving to an event like a game or a concert and seeing nothing but brake lights ahead.

If you're anything like me, after the blinding rage wears off, you often wonder what caused the jam to begin with.

Usually, it's because some idiot missed his exit and decided to merge across six lanes of traffic or a college kid who's home on break was texting and driving before rear-endeding someone, but how about when a longhorn busts loose from the farm and leads the cops on a wild chase across a two-lane road?

What, you've never had that happen to you before?

MISSING 1200-POUND GIRAFFE GRACIE FOUND 2 WEEKS AFTER WANDERING AWAY FROM RANCH IN VIRAL SEARCH

It turns out several of the motorists in Putnam County, New York, were treated to a traffic jam of bovine origins when a four-year-old cow named Maggie caused a pileup when she escaped from the friendly confines of Little Cabin's Farm in nearby Carmel, NY.

The video is absolutely hysterical (mostly because I'm not the one behind the wheel) and features police cars and civilians alike trying (and failing) to wrangle the clearly agitated animal as she darts in between several stopped vehicles.

One of the civilians is even seen brandishing a tree branch to use as a whip to try and corral Maggie back onto the other side of the road.

While traffic is at a dead stop in the one lane, the oncoming lane has cars driving at full speed, and one of them even had to slam on their brakes as Maggie scampered back to the grassy shoulder.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

VIRAL VIDEO SHOWS MASSIVE BISON POPPING TOURIST VEHICLE'S TIRE IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

She's lucky some Kia didn't turn her into ground beef!

According to local news affiliate WABC, Maggie was on the loose for four days before finally being brought home, giving drivers all over Putnam County a reason to breathe easier.

SIGN UP FOR THE DAILY OUTKICK NEWSLETTER

What's even crazier is that Maggie is also pregnant, which might explain some of her erratic behavior.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

All's well that ends well, though, and it's nice to know she's back on the farm where she belongs.

• When I spotted a castle in the Hudson River from my train window, I had to get a closer look.
• Back then, the abandoned weapon fortress wasn't open to the public.
• But I got a private tour.

Sitting on Pollepel Island in New York's Hudson River, a stunning piece of history is slowly crumbling away.

Bannerman Castle was built in the early 20th century as a fortress for weapons by Scottish arms trader Francis Bannerman, The New York Times reported. Gunpowder exploded inside the castle in 1920, and it was abandoned about 30 years later.

Then, in the early 1990s, the Bannerman Castle Trust led efforts to restore the structure and make the island safe for public visitation. It's been accessible since 2004 and open for tours since 2020.

I got a private tour of the island in 2019 — before tours were available to the public. Take a look at Pollepel Island's decaying castle, which is being taken over by nature. 

Welcome to Bannerman Castle, an abandoned fortress in New York's Hudson River that I visited in 2019.

Today, you can reserve tours on the Bannerman Castle website.

Bannerman Castle is about 60 miles north of New York City on Pollepel Island.

The abandoned castle is visible from the Metro-North Railroad's Hudson line. I took the train from Grand Central Terminal in NYC to the Manitou train station.

To get to the castle, I took a cab from the Manitou train station to Donahue Memorial Park in the town of Cornwall, New York.

There, I met up with guides from the Bannerman Castle Trust, the group that oversees the castle's preservation and maintenance.

I boarded a boat at Donahue Memorial Park and headed to the island.

Pollepel Island is only accessible by boat. Two guides from the Bannerman Castle Trust met me at the dock.

I crammed into the boat with the guides and a handful of volunteer gardeners who do landscaping work on Pollepel Island.

Twenty minutes later, I arrived at the castle. From the dock, I thought its beautiful, sturdy-looking walls made the building appear almost functional.

From the dock, we climbed 72 stairs to reach the island.

But my guide told me I could not go inside — it's not safe.

My guide explained that the castle's towers are supported by external beams braced with steel. Each section weighs 250 pounds.

But even with this support, there's still a risk that the walls could fall. That's why all visitors must stay at least 100 feet away from the castle.

Luckily, observation decks are set up around the castle at picturesque vantage points.

Accidental explosions and weather damage have left Bannerman Castle, once a weapons storage fortress, in ruins.

Francis Bannerman VI, an arms dealer who lived in Brooklyn, bought Pollepel Island in 1900. He wanted a place outside the city to store an arsenal of munitions, according to The New York Times, so he built the fortress and an accompanying harbor.

Bannerman's sons took over the business when he died in 1918.

A room full of gunpowder exploded in 1920.

This shattered the castle's windows.

Forty-seven years later, the Bannerman family sold the island to New York State.

It eventually became part of the Hudson Highlands State Park Preserve, according to the park's website.

In 1969, a fire destroyed much of the castle.

After that, Pollepel Island was deemed unsafe and declared off-limits by the State of New York.

Then, in 1992, Neil Caplan, a resident of nearby Beacon, New York, formed the Bannerman Castle Trust.

The group raised money to restore the island; Caplan is its executive director.

The Trust teamed up with New York's Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation to open the island to the public in 2004.

Today, it serves as a theater, museum, and historical site.

Although the main castle is inaccessible, the Trust stabilized another structure that served as the Bannerman family residence. That's now the island's visitor center.

The facade of the building also serves as the backdrop for the theater's stage.

Inside, visitors can find information about the island's past.

Modest exhibits explain the site's history and the castle's construction. Drawings and documents are framed on the building's distressed walls.

Visitors can also see preserved fixtures from the castle, like this bathtub.

The center also has a gift shop that sells art and T-shirts.

Although the Trust has restored parts of the castle since the 1990s, the weather has still taken a toll on the structure in recent decades.

According to the Bannerman Castle Trust, much of the castle's shell collapsed one night in December 2009. Then, just a month later, more walls fell during a winter storm.

On my way back from the castle, the boat took a spin around the island's perimeter.

From the water, we caught glimpses of other pieces of the abandoned fortress, including its deteriorated harbor.

From afar, it was especially clear that nature has already taken over many parts of this mysterious piece of history on the Hudson River.

The combination of medieval architecture and overgrown trees and foliage makes Bannerman Castle a place worth visiting up close.