Waynesburg U. Stover Scholars present annual Constitution Day play

Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership presented their annual Constitution Day play on Thursday, Sept. 18 in the Goodwin Performing Arts Center.

This year’s production, titled “A Presidential Play in Global Power: The Legacy of U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright Export Co.,” highlights a landmark 1936 U.S. Supreme Court case involving President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's foreign policy authority under the U.S. Constitution. The case involved a joint resolution of Congress giving the President the discretion to forbid the sale of weapons to the countries of Boliva and Paraguay during the Chaco War.

After President Roosevelt issued a proclamation against a weapons sale to Paraguay, the Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation and four executives were prosecuted for violating the joint resolution and presidential proclamation. The defendants argued that the joint resolution unconstitutionally delegated legislative power to the President. The Supreme Court ruled in a 7-1 opinion by Justice George Sutherland that not only was the congressional delegation constitutional but that the President possessed some inherent foreign policy authority under the Constitution. To support his point, Sutherland quoted U.S. Representative John Marshall, who later became Chief Justice of the United States, in a House of Representatives speech in 1800 that “the President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations and its sole representative with foreign nations.”

“The Stover Scholars have continued their tradition of dramatizing a famous Supreme Court case for Waynesburg University's Constitution Day celebration and for the first time they are telling the story about American foreign policy in relation to the ongoing debate over the scope and extent of presidential and congressional authority over foreign policy,” said Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, professor of ethics and constitutional law and director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership. “The students have been studying U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright since last spring and wrote the play over the summer.”

The drama was written, directed and filmed by students who made up the Stover Scholar Constitution Day Committee: chair Alexander Canestraro and committee members Sydney Kratsis, Alex Solomon and Olivia Toth. Stover Scholar alumnus T.J. DeNofrio (‘20), also a graduate of the New England School of Law in Boston, produced the film. Another Stover Scholar alumnus, Andrew Stanko (‘17), Instructor of Communication, assisted in filming the show.

“This year's play revolves around an extremely relevant topic of presidential authority, especially in the scope of foreign affairs,” said Canestraro. “Overall, putting the play together this year was not only a great experience from a teamwork standpoint but also a great learning experience for everyone involved in regard to the case. We hope that everyone is able to not only enjoy the play but also learn something from it!”

Every year the Stover Scholars select a Supreme Court case or a constitutional topic to research, write and perform for their annual Constitution Day production, providing an experiential opportunity for students to bring a constitutional moment to the campus community and honor the U.S. Constitution.

“We're always happy to see the play come around every year,” said Kratsas. “It's great team building for the Stover Scholars and helps us have some fascinating conversations about cases that others don't look at as closely. It's also really fun to see the final product!”

“A Presidential Play in Global Power: The Legacy of U.S. v. Curtiss-Wright Export Co.”

*This presentation is student-produced content.

The full cast list includes:

• Shop Owner: Emily Barker, a senior criminal justice major from Mount Sterling, Ohio
• Paperboy: Jackson Sauders, a freshman political science major from New Castle, Pennsylvania
• Student 1: Emma Shashura, a sophomore accounting major from Fredericktown, Pennsylvania
• Student 2: Olivia Toth, a junior middle-level education (social studies) major from Carmichaels, Pennsylvania
• Student 3: Kathyrn Cottis, a freshman political science major from Steubenville, Ohio
• Student 4: Joel Bailey, a freshman political science major from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
• Student 5: Rachel Arhin, a sophomore political science major from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Senator James P. Pope: Jonathan Davis, a freshman finance major from Gainesville, Virginia
• Passerby 1: Tessa Eggleston, a sophomore education major from Jefferson, Pennsylvania
• Reporter 1: Avery Rape, a marketing major from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
• Reporter 2: Emily Stutzman, a senior political science major from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
• Reporter 3: Josh Bailey, a freshman exploring major from Waynesburg, Pennsylvania
• Reporter 4: Carolyn Clarkson, a forensic investigation major from Ballard, West Virginia
• Clerk: Gracie Rape, a sophomore psychology major from Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
• Richard Hoyt: John Scott, a sophomore digital design major from Ellsworth, Pennsylvania
• John Allard: Josiah Shimizu, a forensic accounting major from Renton, Washington
• Clarence Webster: Sydney Kratsas, a sophomore forensic accounting major from Harmony, Pennsylvania
• Senator Gerald Nye: Tyler Gordon, a junior finance major from Strongsville, Ohio
• Speaker Henry T. Rainey: Makai'o Nihipali-Sanchez, a sophomore forensic accounting major from Waianae, Hawaii
• President Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Alex Solomon, a senior political science major from Morgantown, West Virginia
• Steven the Bailiff: Ronin Poliquin, a secondary education social studies major from Magnolia, Delaware
• Justice George Sutherland: Alexander Canestraro, a senior political science major from Wheeling, West Virginia