"They are under a lot of scrutiny. Careers are at stake and that has resulted in this kind of response," attorney Frank Spinner said.
Air Force spokeswoman Valerie Burkes said the prosecution in both cases is proper. Academy officials did not return a call seeking comment.
The two cadets are the first to face prosecution since dozens of female cadets said they were ostracized or reprimanded after they reported being raped. Investigative panels reported 142 cases of alleged sexual assault in the past decade at the school near Colorado Springs.
Spinner represents Douglas Meester, 20, who is accused of raping an 18-year-old female cadet in his dorm room in October 2002.
Spinner questioned why Brig. Gen. Johnny Weida, academy commandant, decided to proceed with a court-martial despite a recommendation by an investigating officer to punish Meester only for breaking rules on alcohol use in dorms.
Meester, who has maintained his innocence, could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.
The other cadet, Phillip Hawkins, 21, is accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman in Colorado over the summer. Prosecutors in Texas, where the case is being heard, conceded that they did not have a strong case because the woman cannot recall whether she consented to sex.
After failing to get the charges dropped, defense attorney Ann Kaufman said her client was being "scapegoated for the rest of the academy's problems."
