Known by many as the “trailblazer” for women in law, Shirley Hufstedler said Wednesday it is important to speak out about injustices facing prisoners detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“It is important that U.S. citizens speak their minds about the United States holding people without a fair trial,” said Hufstedler, a former Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge and the first U.S. Secretary of Education.

Many people think those being held at Guantanamo Bay are terrorists, but Hufstedler said a large number of the prisoners are not involved with insurgent operations. She said they were captured by bounty hunters in Afghanistan, not American troops.

In her speech at the University’s law school, Hufstedler discussed the struggles her law partner faces as he represents a Saudi Arabian who is detained.

She said her partner has trouble getting information from his client because translators must be government-issued.

Hufstedler said U.S. presidents are overstepping their powers, and the American people need to monitor officials constantly to ensure leaders are exercising the appropriate amount of power.

Referring to the expanded presidential powers after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, she said they are now depriving Guantanamo Bay prisoners of habeas corpus and should be reconsidered.

The U.S. national defense should honor the values that set the country apart, she said, referencing the words of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren.

“[The prison camps at Guantanamo Bay] are embarrassing to me as an American citizen,” she said. “I think it’s a national disgrace.”

The lecture was the 26th installment of the Edith House Lecture Series, which brings women who are influential in law to speak and honors House, one of the first two female graduates from the University’s law school.

Hufstedler’s advice to young lawyers was to read carefully, constantly search for information and to not be shy to represent unpopular causes.

“The fight [for justice] isn’t always bloodless, but believe me, it’s worth it,” she said.