In November 2025, Neal Kumar Katyal was asked to do what no US Supreme Court litigator had ever done: convince the justices to strike down a sitting president's signature initiative. After enlisting the help of four unlikely coaches — and one secret weapon he hasn't told anyone about until now — he walked into the courtroom ready for anything. What he discovered about winning and connecting might just change how you think about performing under pressure.

What really won the trillion-dollar Supreme Court case

The Supreme Court was asked to overturn a sitting president’s four-trillion-dollar initiative—an act never done in 237 years. Preparation included guidance from a sports coach, meditation, improv, and a legal AI trained on decades of judicial patterns. Even as AI predicted precise questions, the decisive edge came from genuine, in-the-moment connection that no machine could match. In the end, the right words, deep listening, and personal purpose won the day.

Human Connection Beats AI in the Ultimate Courtroom Test

Winning the Supreme Court’s most consequential case in a century required more than legal brilliance or advanced AI. Despite using an AI trained on decades of judicial questions, what ultimately mattered was reading the room, listening deeply, and responding with empathy under extraordinary pressure. The right words at the podium changed history, but it was the fully human skill of building a real-time connection that made the difference.