Opinion ID: 1094077
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: issues as presented by the parties

Text: ¶ 10. In its brief, Columbia states the issues as follows: Whether the State of Mississippi is the trustee of the public trust tidelands and the Secretary of State is only the trustee of the fund generated by the land held in trust; whether the Secretary of State when negotiating a lease of tidelands property has veto power over other state agencies who have been granted authority by the Legislature to evaluate and make determinations regarding the legality and suitability of proposed uses of tidelands property; whether the Secretary of State abused his discretion in refusing to negotiate a tidelands lease with Columbia after the decision of the Mississippi Gaming Commission that the planned site was legal and suitable for gaming resort purposes; and, whether Miss.Code Ann. § 29-1-107(2) (Rev.2000) of the Tidelands Act, as construed by the chancellor, is unconstitutionally vague and violates Columbia's fourteenth amendment right of due process. ¶ 11. On the other hand, in his brief before this Court, the Secretary of State states the issues as follows: Whether the Mississippi legislature, in the Tidelands Act, delegated to the Secretary of State the role of management of the tidelands as a trustee, as held by this Court in Wiesenberg; [2] whether the Secretary of State has been delegated broad discretion to manage the public trust tidelands; whether the Secretary of State abused his discretion in declining to enter into a tidelands lease with Columbia for use of public trust tidelands for casino gaming; whether the stare decisis effect of Wiesenberg precludes consideration of the issue of the constitutionality of the Tidelands Act; and, whether the chancellor correctly held that Columbia's littoral rights were simply non-exclusive privileges entitling the upland owner with access to, and limited use of, the adjacent public trust tidelands. ¶ 12. Finally, Imperial Palace and Treasure Bay, as amici curiae, present several questions to this Court for consideration: (1) Who is the trustee of the public trust tidelands? (2) What type of trust is the Tidelands Trust? (3) What are littoral rights? ¶ 13. With all of this having been said, we determine that the crucial issue before us may be stated and discussed as follows: WHETHER THE SECRETARY OF STATE HAS THE FINAL DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY CONCERNING A PROPOSED PUBLIC TRUST TIDELANDS LEASE.