Judge Coverage

Public Forum and Lincoln Douglas judges are obligated through the first full elimination round and then for one round beyond their teams’ elimination. For instance, if we break to a partial double-octofinal and a team’s entries are eliminated prior to octofinals, their PF and LD judging obligation would be met following the octofinal debate.

Judges in policy are obligated for one round beyond their teams’ elimination, and congressional debate judges are obligated until the congressional debate tournament is completed. Please note that congressional debate judges may be used in pools for other events if they are not being used in congress.

The cost to hire a judge is as follows:

• Policy -- One judge per two entries (May be hired for $250)

• Lincoln-Douglas – One judge per two entries (May be hired for $250)

• Public Forum – One judge per two entries (May be hired for $250)

• Congressional Debate – One judge per six entries or part thereof (May be hired for $20 per debater)

Please limit your judge hire requests as there are only a limited number of these judges available.

Please note that all judges provided must be qualified to judge in the event for which you're hiring them. Judges need to be experienced judges and/or former debaters and must be out of high school. In Public Forum, lay-judges are acceptable, but the tournament expects that the hiring school will provide that judge with the requisite and appropriate training to judge adequately within the tournament. Any team that enters judges who do not meet the qualifications standards for our tournament risks having their entire entry disqualified. Entry fees for disqualified entries will not be refunded. Please just enter qualified adult judges that are not high school students.

An important note that all of your judges should be made aware of prior to the tournament: Judges will also be expected to disclose in round. If detailed oral comments are warranted, that's fine, but A COMPLETED BALLOT SHOULD BE SUBMITTED VIA TABROOM PRIOR TO THE JUDGE SAYING ANYTHING IN

ROUND! Students, it’s also important for you to remember that judges who are uncomfortable disclosing in debates often feel that way due to past negative experiences disclosing decisions. If you want judges to disclose decisions in your debates, treat your judges with respect and do not post-round your judges!

All judges should have a posted paradigm on Tabroom. In Lincoln Douglas and Public Forum, teams whose judges do not have a posted paradigm will not receive prefs/strikes.

Because the tournament will likely have to hire out judge coverage for missed rounds, the tournament reserves the right to apply a $25 fine/round assignment missed by a judge should a judge miss an assigned round. We are not looking to make a profit off this scenario, but we cannot have a situation where judges disappear on their assigned debates throughout the day. Any portion of fines collected that is not immediately used to pay for judge replacement coverages will be donated to a non-profit organization such as Beyond Resolved, The Voices Foundation, or The JW Patterson Foundation, which seek to make debate a safer, more accessible place for people of all backgrounds. If you would like to suggest an organization to be considered, please let us know by email at MiloCup2022@gmail.com