Joseph Lawrence Sax (1936–2014) was a pioneering American environmental law professor widely regarded as the 'father of environmental law.' Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he graduated from Harvard College in 1957 and earned his J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in 1959. After brief stints in private practice and at the U.S. Department of Justice, Sax began his academic career at the University of Colorado Law School in 1962. He joined the University of Michigan Law School in 1966, where he taught until 1986, during which time he drafted Michigan's landmark environmental protection act, known as the 'Sax Act.' In 1986, he moved to the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, continuing his influential work until his retirement. Sax's seminal contributions included developing the public trust doctrine, which asserts public rights to natural resources like water and shorelines, fundamentally shaping environmental jurisprudence in the United States. Throughout his career, Sax actively bridged academia and practice, collaborating with organizations like the Sierra Club, authoring amicus briefs, serving as an expert witness, and advising on litigation and policy. From 1994 to 1996, he served as a special advisor to U.S. Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt during the Clinton Administration, helping navigate challenges to the Endangered Species Act. His work extended to water resource cases in California and a 2002 report on groundwater management for the State Water Resources Control Board, which influenced debates during California's droughts. Sax received numerous accolades, including the Blue Planet Prize in 2007, often called the 'Nobel for environmental science,' and the inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award from the California State Bar's Environmental Law Section in 2014. He was a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and honored by groups like the Sierra Club and the Environmental Law Institute. Sax passed away on March 9, 2014, in San Francisco at age 78 from complications of a lung condition, leaving a profound legacy in advancing public interest in natural resources and environmental protection.