Sep 7, 2016 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Waynesburg University is celebrating Constitution Day later this month with a play dramatizing the limits of executive power.

The university’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership will present “Steeling and Dealing: President Truman’s Seizure of the Steel Mills,” at noon Sept. 15 in the university’s Goodwin Performing Arts Center.

The play is written by Stover Scholars Andrew Stanko, Olivia Schultz-Falandes and Tyler McCoy, and it dramatizes the landmark 1952 Supreme Court case, Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer.

The production portrays President Truman’s decision to seize the nation’s steel mills during the Korean conflict and the political and legal drama that ensued, leading up to the U.S. Supreme Court’s six-to-three ruling that Truman overstepped constitutional limits on executive power.

The play reenacts the Supreme Court justices’ reactions to Truman’s actions and demonstrates how the case shaped legal discourse relating to executive authority in times of both war and peace ever since.

Lawrence Stratton, director of the Stover Center and assistant professor of ethics and constitutional law, said he is pleased with how the scholars worked to produce a play about real-life historical events.

“The Steel Seizure Case is the constitutional touchstone to address the limits on presidential power,” he said.

He added the production is relevant during today’s polarized political climate.

“The Stover Scholars portray this story in a compelling manner, which will resonate with students of all ages,” he said. “The play underscores the importance of the separation of powers to preserve our liberties.”

Edward Powers, professor of theater at Waynesburg University, will direct the production. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend.