Durham DA Candidate Denies Copying and Pasting But Says She'll Edit Her Website After Plagiarism

Durham DA Candidate Denies Copying and Pasting But Says She'll Edit Her Website After Plagiarism Accusation

Following accusations that she plagiarized from Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, who has been lauded by criminal justice reformers, a candidate for district attorney in Durham County says she'll amend her campaign website.

In an interview, Satana Deberry says she wrote the language herself but admits that she did "borrow heavily" from Krasner. She says she’s been "up front" that she looks to Krasner, as well as the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office, as a model for how progressive prosecutors can reform the system.

"I give all credit to Krasner for being who I follow on this stuff," she told the INDY.

Language in a section on Deberry's campaign website detailing her platform closely mirrors language on Krasner's campaign site. Some passages are identical. Durham attorney Jonathan Jones, a former reporter and the director of the North Carolina Open Government Coalition, wrote about the similarities on his blog this morning.

"Plagiarism is a major sin in my household," he wrote.

Read more: https://www.indyweek.com/news/archives/2018/03/29/durham-da-candidate-denies-copying-and-pasting-but-says-shell-edit-her-website-after-plagiarism-accusation