In this episode, we interview Captain Thomas Govan on his experience in successfully arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court in October 2018 in the case of Vernon Madison v. State of Alabama where he argued on behalf of the State of Alabama. The case centered around whether the 8th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, barring cruel and unusual punishment, prohibits executing a person for a crime they do not remember.

This episode is the first part of the 2-part interview. In this first part, we discuss an overview of the case, how Captain Govan became involved and selected to present oral argument, and the preparation he took leading up to the day of oral argument. In Part 2, we focus on his experience at the US Supreme Court in oral argument.