Interview: Attorney Deborah LaBelle (Spring 2023)

In this interview, attorney Deborah LaBelle recounts her early life and path to a career as a civil rights lawyer.  She discusses her work on lawsuits challenging unconstitutional conditions of confinement for women and juveniles in Michigan's prison system, as well as her advocacy addressing juvenile life without parole, the Flint water crisis, and reproductive justice.  Attorney LaBelle also describes the human rights model of advocacy that informs her work and offers advice for aspiring civil rights lawyers.  

View the full interview with attorney LaBelle: 

Attorney LaBelle discusses her work as a civil rights lawyer on cases including:

Challenges to conditions of confinement for women in Michigan's prison system in Neal v. Michigan Department of Corrections; Anderson v. Department of Corrections; Everson v. Michigan Department of Corrections; Mason v. Granholm; and Nunn v. Michigan Department of Corrections;     

Challenges to conditions of confinement for juveniles in Michigan's prison system in Does v. Michigan Department of Corrections; Does v. Michigan Department of Corrections; and Doe v. Anderson;

Hill v. Snyder, which address juvenile life without parole in Michigan;

Flint water crisis-related litigation in Burgess v. United States; Waid v. Snyder; Mays v. Snyder; and Mays v. Flint; 

and recent reproductive justice-related cases in Michigan, including Whitmer v. Linderman and Planned Parenthood of Michigan v. Attorney General of Michigan.