Reno, who is opposed to capital punishment, said the death penalty "goes against the value of human life."

Named by President Clinton as the first female U.S. Attorney General, Reno spoke to a packed lecture hall at the Duke University School of Law on current legal issues and some of her past decisions.

Concerned by what she termed a rejection of science in America, the Harvard Law School grad and former Dade County, Fla. state attorney said she supported stem cell research. Reno, who has Parkinson's disease, added that research in the field would allow the United States to "stay in the ball game and not fall behind England and other countries."

Reno also spoke about two moments in her career for which she has been heavily criticized - the Branch Davidian standoff in Waco, Texas, and the Elian Gonzalez saga.

"It was a dangerous situation," said Reno of the Waco incident in which about 70 people died. "The tragedy is that we will never know what was the right thing to do."

The Elian Gonzalez case was another situation in which Reno authorized the use of force, ordering government agencies to return the 6-year-old refugee to his father in Cuba. But in that instance, she said, she welcomed negative response to her decision.

"I felt joyful at the public's criticism. People come to the country for free speech. It's what America is all about," Reno said.

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