National Speech and Debate Tournament

2025 — Des Moines, IA/US

Jennifer Renne Paradigm
Lincoln-Douglas
Lincoln Douglas Debate Judge Philosophy

Your experience with LD Debate (check all that apply)

Community judge

How many years have you judged LD debate?

1

How many LD rounds have you judged this year?

0-10

What is your preferred rate of delivery?

5/91 = Slow conversational style
9 = Rapid conversation speed
 

Does the rate of delivery weigh heavily in your decision?

N
 

Will you vote against a student solely for exceeding your preferred speed?

N

How important is the criterion in making your decision?

It may be a factor depending on its use in the round
 

Do you feel that a value and criterion are required elements of a case?

Y

Rebuttals and Crystallization

 

Voting issues should be given:

At the end of the speech
 

The use of jargon or technical language ("extend", "cross-apply", "turn", etc.) during rebuttals:

Should be kept to a minimum
 

Final rebuttals should include:

Both
 

Voting issues are:

Absolutely necessary

How do you decide the winner of the round?

I decide who is the person who persuaded me more of their position

How necessary do you feel the use of evidence (both analytical and empirical) is in the round?

7/91 = Not necessary
9 = Always necessary

Please describe your personal note-taking during the round

I keep detailed notes throughout the round
Additional remarks: I am a new (parent) judge, having judged some PF and LD. I have been a lawyer for 34 years with extensive litigation experience. I prefer a slower speech style, particularly when a student is reading verbatim from a prepared speech. I find when those are read at a very rapid pace, it’s challenging to follow and sometimes unpersuasive. While I will be tracking the flow, that is a weakness for me due to my inexperience. I will be following very closely the logic of your reasoning and assessing whether it is supported by evidence provided. The minutiae of the evidence/data in your cards is less important than how you use your evidence to support your contentions. Finally, I will be assessing your debate skills around applying critical thinking skills in real time (i.e. during cross examination) because in my view, a debate is won or lost on how well you play offense and defense, and is not a solo presentation. I have no preference regarding whether you stand or sit, nor do I care about eye contact with me because you are interacting primarily with your opponent.

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