Q&A: Satana Deberry talks Durham experience, candidacy for attorney general

The Daily Tar Heel's Caroline Horne spoke with N.C. Attorney General candidate Satana Deberry about her experience as a public lawyer in Durham and her aspirations for the role. Her opponents in the Democratic primary are Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-N.C. 14th) and Tim Dunn.

This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.

The Daily Tar Heel: How have your previous experiences prepared you for the challenges of attorney general?

Satana Deberry: I have 30 years [of experience] as a public lawyer, working on the issues that are really most important to everyday North Carolinians, whether that be reproductive justice, access to health care, voting rights, criminal justice or environmental issues.

We are in a time not just where our democracy is at risk, but really our basic constitutional rights are at risk. The people of North Carolina need an attorney general who actually knows what she is doing, who has actually been practicing law at a high level for 30 years and is kindling that office-developed strategy to be a national leader in protecting our rights, especially as our General Assembly turns rightward.

DTH: What are some of your strengths compared with your competition?

SD: I've been practicing law for 30 years and currently run one of the largest prosecutorial organizations in North Carolina. I have a background in everything the AG does. I started off as an environmental lawyer, and I have represented consumers in front of the North Carolina Utilities Commission, so I know regulatory law. I have been the general counsel at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, so I also know issues around healthcare and healthcare access, in addition to reproductive justice issues.

DTH: How do you plan to collaborate with the community and other government agencies?

SD: My career has been full of collaboration. We only get things done when we work together. In Durham County, our driver's license restoration program has been a community-led effort. We expanded our victims' contact in my office in cooperation with community nonprofits and victims' advocacy organizations. There are only so many resources available to any legal team, and I think the AG will need to work with NGOs and nonprofits to extend the reach of the law and our ability to litigate some of the most pressing issues.

DTH: What steps would you take to ensure that the attorney general’s office operates ethically, especially in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion?

SD: I have always been committed to having a DA’s office that looks more like this community. We have a much more diverse office than it was when I took over. Whether that is race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender presentation, we have people for whom English is not their first language, and having language and thought diversity in the office is very important to me. The AG’s office permanently has been instrumental in the governor's task force on racial equity. Many of the recommendations for that task force came from my office, and we have been the first to implement the recommendations. 

DTH: Which legal issues do you see as the most pressing currently, and how would you address them as attorney general?

SD: The two most pressing issues that you hear about are reproductive and voting rights. As the attorney general, I would be hyper-focused making sure that we litigate against further bans on abortion. I am the only DA in North Carolina who has issued a statement promising to never prosecute a pregnant person nor their healthcare provider for making that choice. In the AG office’s civil rights division, I would put more effort into fighting against voting suppression efforts of the General Assembly in federal courts.

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