Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership hosted journalist and biographer Peter S. Canellos on Sept. 15 for a lecture examining the history and development of the modern U.S. Supreme Court.
Canellos presented “The Supreme Court: How We Got Here!” as part of the Stover Center’s programming. During his presentation, he traced the history of the modern Supreme Court through the career of Associate Justice Samuel Alito, exploring the development of the Court and the major legal and political forces that have shaped its current composition.
In addition to his public lecture, Canellos met with Waynesburg’s Stover Scholars and Student Senators and visited American Presidency and Legislative Process classes, giving students opportunities to engage directly with his perspectives on the Supreme Court, journalism and the American legal system.
“Mr. Peter Canellos thoroughly traced the history of the modern U.S. Supreme Court in relation to the career trajectory of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a fascinating way,” said Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, director of the Stover Center and professor of ethics and constitutional law. “Canellos provided Waynesburg University students an opportunity to engage Supreme Court jurisprudence and major cases not only in his lecture but in several classes during his visit.”
The visit marked Canellos’ second appearance at Waynesburg as part of the Stover Center’s programming. During his previous visit, he discussed his acclaimed biography of 19th-century Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan.
Canellos is the author of Revenge for the Sixties: Sam Alito and the Triumph of the Conservative Legal Movement and The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America’s Judicial Hero. He also edited the bestselling Last Lion: The Fall and Rise of Ted Kennedy. A longtime journalist, Canellos is the former executive editor of Politico and former editorial page editor of the Boston Globe. He has received the George Polk Award and the American Society of Newspaper Editors Award for excellence in editorial writing and was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University Law School.
For Waynesburg students, the opportunity to engage with Canellos extended beyond the lecture.
“Mr. Canellos’ insights on journalism, the Supreme Court and domestic law in the United States were truly enlightening,” said Eddie Perot, a freshman Stover Scholar. “His advice to us young scholars on how to contribute to positive change within our society was equally inspiring.”
Rachel Arhin, a senior Stover, said she found Canellos’ discussion of Justice Alito’s background particularly interesting.
“It was especially interesting to see Mr. Canellos’ insights and perspectives regarding Justice Alito’s background and upbringing,” Arhin said.
Through lectures, classroom visits and conversations with students, the Stover Center’s programming provides opportunities for Waynesburg students to engage with scholars, journalists and public figures on constitutional issues, American government and the moral dimensions of public leadership.
About Waynesburg U.
Consistently ranked a best value school, Waynesburg University’s Strategy for the 21st Century affirms its commitment to developing an entrepreneurial mindset and ethical leadership skills for all students. Rooted in its mission of faith, learning and service, the private, Christian university is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania.
About the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership
Waynesburg University's Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership is an interdisciplinary scholarly center dedicated to bringing insights from the U.S. Constitution's Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square, with the ultimate goal of creatively transforming the ethical state of the polis.
