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Reinvigorating the American Spirit and Constitution through Patriot
Week. Michael Warren, Oakland Circuit Court and Cooley Law School
Glass v. Goeckel, a Michigan Supreme Court case, concerns the
public's right to lands protected by the Public Trust Doctrine. The
court decided that the Public Trust Doctrine applies directly to private
littoral title-bearing property and that walking the shoreline of the
Great Lakes is a protected "public right." While the Great
Lakes fall under the Public Trust Doctrine, the extent to which the rule

applies to private littoral titles is unclear. Rather than interpret and

apply the Public Trust Doctrine to the Great Lakes, the government
should invest in new laws tailored towards equitably allocating water
resources and preserving private property rights.

Trust and Economic Growth in

Municipalities. Justin M. Sines,
Oakland University, Economics
A number of colleagues in Michigan have
inquired about adding a
program in Moot court for their
campuses. Four years ago, Aquinas
College initiated such a course and
student experience in their
undergraduate political science
department. Such a program involves
students studying two focused
constitutional law questions, building
legal arguments, delivering legal arguments in a national tournament
system, and creating a Supreme Court merits brief. Student evaluations
of the course have been outstanding. Tournaments have also been rigorous
and as described by students as "a real adrenaline rush."
Pre-law students find this course a definitive answer to their question
of whether law school is their chosen interest. Come and learn what

steps are necessary to create such a program on your campus and the
mechanics of the national tournament system. Additionally, a student
club has grown from the course. A syllabus of the course as well as
texts used will be discussed in this presentation.
Recognizing that many of our current holidays have become overly
commercialized or have lost their deeper meaning, Judge Michael Warren
and his daughter Leah organized the inaugural Patriot Week in 2009. If
we are to maintain our liberty in a free republic, our citizens must

have a deeply rooted understanding our Constitution, its generating

history, and its underlying First Principles. Unfortunately, large
portions of our students and the general public are ill-informed.
Patriot Week is designed to reinvigorate our appreciation and
understanding of America's spirit. Patriot Week focuses on our
First Principles (the rule of law, equality, unalienable rights, the
Social Compact, limited government, and the right to alter or abolish an
oppressive government); key historical figures; founding documents; and
symbols (represented by historical flags). Anchored by the key dates of
September 11 (the anniversary of the terrorists' attacks) and
September 17 (Constitution Day, the anniversary of when the Constitution
was signed), each day has a separate focus. Judge Warren addresses the
successful nature of the inaugural Patriot Week and explores how to
spread its effect across the nation.
Glass v. Goeckel: An Analysis of Public Trust and Private Property
Rights. Claire Gembrowski and Mark Potts, Saginaw Valley State
University, College of Business and Management
Creating a Moot Court Class in Michigan. Bradford Winkler, Aquinas
College, Department of Political Science
This paper uses an existing general equilibrium growth model that
explains the importance of institutional trust in developing countries.
While this research is being used to demonstrate how to generate
economic growth through the creation of institutional trust systems;
this paper attempts to show the lack of such institutions in U.S.
municipalities can cause economic shrinkage. Across many cultures, the
level of trust decreases with lower and less equal incomes, and with

less-educated and ethnically diverse populations. Environments with

lower levels of trust result in less investment and decreased economic
growth. The demographics in some U.S. municipalities are rapidly
changing, which without the right systems of institutional trust could
result in economic shrinkage.