Law Review Symposium 2011 -- Welcome and Introduction

The Public Trust Doctrine: 30 years later. On March 4, 2011, the UC Davis Law Review hosted its 2011 Symposium, “The Public Trust Doctrine: 30 Years Later.” Thirty years ago, the UC Davis Law Review held its first symposium exploring the public trust doctrine. Scholarship produced as a result of this original public trust doctrine symposium — and the resulting issue of the Law Review — had a demonstrable effect on the development of the law in California and in the nation. For example, key public trust decisions cited UC Davis Law Review articles, including the critical California Supreme Court case National Audubon Society v. Superior Court (also known as the Mono Lake case). Our hope and intention is that this year's symposium and the scholarship it generates will similarly impact the future development of public trust principles. The public trust doctrine is rooted in the Roman Law idea of res communis, or common properties. Advocates have advanced public trust arguments for preserving natural resources. Opponents believe that public trust theories allow the unjustified taking of private property by the state without compensation. The debate surrounding the doctrine, and what the public trust doctrine may soon embrace, is the focus of the 2011 Symposium of the UC Davis Law Review. Our faculty advisor for this symposium is Professor Richard M. Frank, who has written extensively on the public trust doctrine and environmental law in California. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9:00-9:15 Welcome and Introductions 9:15-9:30 History of the Public Trust Doctrine: Professor Richard Frank