Scarsdale Adult School Catalog Spring/Summer 2025
U.S. Supreme Court in Crisis Once among the most revered institutions in America, the Supreme Court is under a cloud. Several Justices have been harshly criticized for failing to report large gifts from people likely to have cases before the Court, and for political displays that undercut the Court's claim to impartiality. Longstanding precedents establishing basic freedoms and ensuring that no one is above the law have been overturned. Hear from a former law clerk to then-Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg how this situation came to exist and about some of the major reform proposals, including expanding the Court, term limits, and a binding ethics code. JESS VELONA is a graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School with an MA in history from NYU. He teaches courses on American history, the Nazi regime, Russian history and other topics at Fordham,
NYU, and other universities in the New York area, and is a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School. Velona clerked for then-Judge Ruth Bader Ginsburg and practiced law for 35 years, including 20 at the Securities and Exchange Commission. As a one-time candidate for public office in Manhattan and former aide to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Velona loves sharing his passion for politics and history. Wednesday, May 7 • 7:00pm-8:30pm • Scarsdale High School • Course 13288 • $30
Executive Orders and the Expansion of Presidential Power If Congress makes the laws, why do presidential executive orders appear to be more important now than ever? Explore this evolution and consider some of the most famous and infamous executive orders in U.S. history, including the Emancipation Proclamation, FDR's closing of the nation's banks, the wartime internment of Japanese Americans, Truman's desegregation of the armed forces, LBJ's affirmative action, and Trump's Muslim travel ban. Learn what may be done to prevent overuse of executive orders, such as judicial review and Congressional action to reclaim its power to write laws that limit presidential discretion. JESS VELONA (see bio for “U.S. Supreme Court in Crisis”). Wednesday, May 14 • 7:00pm-8:30pm • Scarsdale High School • Course 13289 • $30
Presidential Pardon Power, Uses and Abuses In the context of the Constitution's system of checks and balances, what explains the president's sweeping pardon power? Explore how pardons, while often merciful or remedies for judicial errors, have also been granted by presidents amidst some of the greatest political controversies in our history. Up for discussion, among others, are Andrew Johnson's mass pardons of ex-Confederates, Ford's pardon of Nixon after Watergate, Carter's mass pardons of Vietnam draft evaders, Clinton's pardon of fugitive Marc Rich, Biden's pardon of his son, and Trump's mass pardons of January 6 defendants. Understand what limits exist upon the pardon power, particularly after the Supreme Court's recent decision on presidential immunity. JESS VELONA (see bio for “U.S. Supreme Court in Crisis”). Wednesday, May 21 • 7:00pm-8:30pm • Scarsdale High School • Course 13290 • $30
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