Updated 11/29/18

Marist High School: 2013-2017

Michigan State: 2017-Present

Put me on the email chain: duvadair at gmail dot com

TLDR: Make arguments you are most comfortable with, I'll try to judge them the best I can. I prefer that you read a plan. I don't know much about this years topic so if there are any acronyms maybe just say the full thing the first time.

Long Version:

Case: Impact turns are fun. A good case debate is always a plus, it shows you put in the time to research the aff and I will reward that.

Disads: Topic DAs and politics are fine with me.

Counterplans: Can be great if deployed well. Solvency advocates should probably be there but not necessary in all instances. 2-3 condo is ok, i can be persuaded otherwise and anything more will be an uphill battle. Counterplans that compete off certainty or immediacy are kinda sketch, so cover yourself on theory if that's the route you want to take. Make an effort to explain perms and shielding arguments, this can start in the 1ar but it should be more than "extend perm do both".

Kritiks: Im familiar with security/neolib based kritiks, anything beyond that don't expect me to understand the jargon. If you explain it clearly, have a link and impact, show how the alt solves, I'll be willing to vote on it. I think that the aff gets to weigh the aff and the role of the ballot debate should happen early. K tricks, if you are neg make them, and if you are aff make sure you answer them.

K affs: If you have a plan go for it. If there is not a plan, its going to be an uphill battle. I wouldn't say I'll never vote for a planless aff but its going to be hard to convince me. For the neg, impact out your fairness and limits impact, I think fairness is an impact you just need to explain why you think it is.

Topicality: I usually find myself comparing offense and defense of interps, but I can be persuaded by reasonability if you have a strong we meet push. Do impact calc why your interp is better for the topic, limits, education ect. Also have defense why your interp solves some of their offense or is not as bad as they say.

Again these are all suggestion about how I view debate. I understand other views and am willing to vote in any way as long as it is explained and debate well. Debate is a strategic game, show me you have thought about it and researched and you will be rewarded.

I somewhat follow along with the speech docs and if I catch you clipping I will vote against you. Claims of clipping must be substantiated with evidence. Have Fun.

Paradigm.

Bill Batterman
Associate Director of Debate — Woodward Academy (2010-present)
Director of Debate — Marquette University High School (2006-2010)
Assistant Debate Coach — Marquette, Appleton East, Nicolet, etc. (2000-2006)
Last Updated 9/17/2021

Twitter version: Debate like an adult. Show me the evidence. Attend to the details. Don't dodge; clash. Great research and informed comparisons win debates.

My promise: I will pay close attention to every debate, carefully and completely scrutinize every argument, and provide honest feedback so that students are continuously challenged to improve as debaters.

Perspective: During the 2010s (my second full decade of judging/coaching debate), I coached and/or judged at 189 tournaments and taught slightly more than 16 months of summer debate institutes. I don't judge as many rounds as I used to — I took an extended sabbatical from judging during the 2020-2021 season — but I still enjoy it and I am looking forward to judging debates again. I am also still coaching as actively as ever. I know a lot about the water resources protection topic.

Pre-round: Please add billbatterman@gmail.com to the email chain. Respect your opponents by sending the same documents to the email chain that you use to deliver your speeches. If you create separate versions of your speech documents (typically by deleting headings and analytical arguments) before sharing them, I will assume that you do not respect your opponents. I like debaters that respect their opponents. I will have my camera on when judging; if it is off, confirm that I'm ready before beginning your speech.

1. I care most about clarity, clash, and argument comparison.

I will be more impressed by students that demonstrate topic knowledge, line-by-line organization skills (supported by careful flowing), and intelligent cross-examinations than by those that rely on superfast speaking, obfuscation, jargon, backfile recycling, and/or tricks. I've been doing this for 20 years, and I'm still not bored by strong fundamental skills and execution of basic, core-of-the-topic arguments.

To impress me, invite clash and show off what you have learned this season. I will want to vote for the team that (a) is more prepared and more knowledgeable about the assigned topic and that (b) better invites clash and provides their opponents with a productive opportunity for an in-depth debate.

Aff cases that lack solvency advocates and claim multiple contrived advantages do not invite a productive debate. Neither do whipsaw/scattershot 1NCs chock-full of incomplete, contradictory, and contrived off-case positions. Debates are best when the aff reads a plan with a high-quality solvency advocate and one or two well-supported advantages and the neg responds with a limited number of complete, consistent, and well-supported positions (including, usually, thorough case answers).

I would unapologetically prefer not to judge debates between students that do not want to invite a productive, clash-heavy debate.

2. I'm a critic of argument, not a blank slate.

My most important "judge preference" is that I value debating: "a direct and sustained confrontation of rival positions through the dialectic of assertion, critique, response and counter-critique" (Gutting 2013). I make decisions based on "the essential quality of debate: upon the strength of arguments" (Balthrop 1989).

Philosophically, I value "debate as argument-judgment" more than "debate as information production" (Cram 2012). That means that I want to hear debates between students that are invested in debating scholarly arguments based on rigorous preparation, expert evidence, deep content knowledge, and strategic thinking. While I will do my best to maintain fidelity to the debate that has taken place when forming my decision, I am more comfortable than most judges with evaluating and scrutinizing students' arguments. I care much more about evidence and argument quality and am far less tolerant of trickery and obfuscation than the median judge. This has two primary implications for students seeking to adapt to my judging:

a. What a card "says" is not as important as what a card proves. When deciding debates, I spend more time on questions like "what argument does this expert make and is the argument right?" than on questions like "what words has this debate team highlighted in this card and have these words been dropped by the other team?." As a critic of argument, I place "greater emphasis upon evaluating quality of argument" and assume "an active role in the debate process on the basis of [my] expertise, or knowledge of practices and standards within the community." Because I emphasize "the giving of reasons as the essential quality of argument, evidence which provides those reasons in support of claims will inevitably receive greater credibility than a number of pieces of evidence, each presenting only the conclusion of someone's reasoning process. It is, in crudest terms, a preference for quality of evidence over quantity" (Balthrop 1989).

b. The burden of proof precedes the burden of rejoinder. As presented, the risk of many advantages and disadvantages is zero because of missing internal links or a lack of grounding for important claims. "I know this argument doesn't make sense, but they dropped it!" will not convince me; reasons will.

When I disagree with other judges about the outcome of a debate, my most common criticism of their decision is that it gives too much credit to bad arguments or arguments that don't make sense. Their most common criticism of my decision is that it is "too interventionist" and that while they agree with my assessment of the arguments/evidence, they think that something else that happened in the debate (often a "technical concession") should be more determinative. I respect many judges that disagree with me in these situations; I'm glad there are both "tech-leaning" and "truth-leaning" judges in our activity. In the vast majority of debates, we come to the same conclusion. But at the margins, this is the major point of disagreement between us — it's much more important than any particular argument or theory preference.

3. I am most persuaded by arguments about the assigned topic.

One of the primary reasons I continue to love coaching debate is that "being a coach is to be enrolled in a continuing graduate course in public policy" (Fleissner 1995). Learning about a new topic area each year enriches my life in profound ways. After 20 years in "The Academy of Debate" (Fleissner 1995), I have developed a deep and enduring belief in the importance of public policy. It matters. This has two practical implications for how I tend to judge debates:

a. Kritiks that demonstrate concern for good policymaking can be very persuasive, but kritiks that ignore the topic or disavow policy analysis entirely will be tough to win. My self-perception is that I am much more receptive to well-developed kritiks than many "policy" judges, but I am as unpersuaded (if not more so) by kritiks that rely on tricks, obfuscation, and conditionality as I am by those styles of policy arguments.

b. I almost always find kritiks of topicality unpersuasive. An unlimited topic would not facilitate the in-depth clash over core-of-the-topic arguments that I most value about debate. The combination of "topical version of the aff" and "argue this kritik on the neg" is difficult to defeat when coupled with a fairness or topic education impact. Topical kritik affirmatives are much more likely to persuade me than kritiks of topicality.

Works Cited
Balthrop 1989 = V. William Balthrop, "The Debate Judge as 'Critic of Argument'," Advanced Debate: Readings in Theory Practice & Teaching (Third Edition).
Cram 2012 = http://cedadebate.org/CAD/index.php/CAD/article/view/295/259
Gutting 2013 = http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/19/a-great-debate/
Fleissner 1995 = https://the3nr.com/2010/05/20/chain-reaction-the-1995-barkley-forum-coaches-luncheon-keynote-speech/

Maggie Berthiaume Woodward Academy

Current Coach — Woodward Academy (2011-present)
Former Coach — Lexington High School (2006-2008), Chattahoochee High School (2008-2011)
College Debater — Dartmouth College (2001-2005)
High School Debater — Blake (1997-2001)
maggiekb@gmail.com for email chains, please.

Meta Comments

1. Please be nice. If you don't want to be kind to others (the other team, your partner, me, the novice flowing the debate in the back of the room), please don’t prefer me.

2. I'm a high school teacher and believe that debates should be something I could enthusiastically show to my students, their families, or my principal. What does that mean? If your high school teachers would find your presentation inappropriate, I am likely to as well.

3. Please be clear. I will call "clear" if I can't understand you, but debate is primarily a communication activity. Do your best to connect on meaningful arguments.

4. Conduct your own CX as much as possible. CX is an important time for judge impression formation, and if one partner does all asking and answering for the team, it is very difficult to evaluate both debaters. Certainly the partner not involved in CX can get involved in an emergency, but that should be brief and rare if both debaters want good points.

5. If you like to be trolly with your speech docs (read on paper to prevent sharing, remove analyticals, etc.), please don't. See "speech documents" below for a longer justification and explanation.

6. I am not willing or able to adjudicate issues that happened outside of the bounds of the debate itself — ex. previous debates, social media issues, etc.

7. In debates involving minors, I am a mandated reporter — as are all judges of debates involving minors!

8. I’ve coached and judged for a long time now, and the reason I keep doing it is that I think debate is valuable. Students who demonstrate that they appreciate the opportunity to debate and are passionate and excited about the issues they are discussing are a joy to watch — they give judges a reason to listen even when we’re sick or tired or judging the 5th debate of the day on the 4th weekend that month. Be that student!

9. "Maggie" (or "Ms. B." if you prefer), not "judge."

What does a good debate look like?

Everyone wants to judge “good debates.” To me, that means two excellently-prepared teams who clash on fundamental issues related to the policy presented by the affirmative. The best debates allow four students to demonstrate that they have researched a topic and know a lot about it — they are debates over issues that experts in the field would understand and appreciate. The worst debates involve obfuscation and tangents. Good debates usually come down to a small number of issues that are well-explained by both sides. The best final rebuttals have clearly explained ballot and a response to the best reason to vote for the opposing team.

I have not decided to implement the Shunta Jordan "no more than 5 off" rule, but I understand why she has it, and I agree with the sentiment. I'm not establishing a specific number, but I would like to encourage negative teams to read fully developed positions in the 1NC (with internal links and solvency advocates as needed). (Here's what she says: "There is no world where the Negative needs to read more than 5 off case arguments. SO if you say 6+, I'm only flowing 5 and you get to choose which you want me to flow.") If you're thinking "nbd, we'll just read the other four DAs on the case," I think you're missing the point. :) It's not about the specific number, it's about the depth of argument.

Do you read evidence?

Yes, in nearly every debate. I will certainly read evidence that is contested by both sides to resolve who is correct in their characterizations. The more you explain your evidence, the more likely I am to read it. For me, the team that tells the better story that seems to incorporate both sets of evidence will almost always win. This means that instead of reading yet another card, you should take the time to explain why the context of the evidence means that your position is better than that of the other team. This is particularly true in close uniqueness and case debates.

Please read rehighlightings out loud rather than inserting them.

Do I have to be topical?

Yes. Affirmatives are certainly welcome to defend the resolution in interesting and creative ways, but that defense should be tied to a topical plan to ensure that both sides have the opportunity to prepare for a topic that is announced in advance. Affirmatives certainly do not need to “role play” or “pretend to be the USFG” to suggest that the USFG should change a policy, however.

I enjoy topicality debates more than the average judge as long as they are detailed and well-researched. Examples of this include “intelligence gathering” on Surveillance, “health care” on Social Services, and “economic engagement” on Latin America. Debaters who do a good job of describing what debates would look like under their interpretation (aff or neg) are likely to win. I've judged several "substantial" debates in recent years that I've greatly enjoyed.

Can I read [X ridiculous counterplan]?

If you have a solvency advocate, by all means. If not, consider a little longer. See: “what does as good debate look like?” above. Affs should not be afraid to go for theory against contrived counterplans that lack a solvency advocate. On the flip side, if the aff is reading non-intrinsic advantages, the "logical" counterplan or one that uses aff solvency evidence for the CP is much appreciated.

What about my generic kritik?

Topic or plan specific critiques are absolutely an important component of “excellently prepared teams who clash on fundamental issues.” Kritiks that can be read in every debate, regardless of the topic or affirmative plan, are usually not.

Given that the aff usually has specific solvency evidence, I think the neg needs to win that the aff makes things worse (not just “doesn’t solve” or “is a mask for X”). Neg – Please spend the time to make specific links to the aff — the best links are often not more evidence but examples from the 1AC or aff evidence.

What about offense/defense?

I do believe there is absolute defense and vote for it often.

Do you take prep for emailing/flashing?

Once the doc is saved, your prep time ends.

I have some questions about speech documents...

One speech document per speech (before the speech). Any additional cards added to the end of the speech should be sent out as soon as feasible.

Teams that remove analytical arguments like permutation texts, counter-interpretations, etc. from their speech documents before sending to the other team should be aware that they are also removing them from the version I will read at the end of the debate — this means that I will be unable to verify the wording of their arguments and will have to rely on the short-hand version on my flow. This rarely if ever benefits the team making those arguments.

Speech documents should be provided to the other team as the speech begins. The only exception to this is a team who debates entirely off paper. Teams should not use paper to circumvent norms of argument-sharing.

I will not consider any evidence that did not include a tag in the document provided to the other team.

LD Addendum

I don't judge LD as much as I used to (I coached it, once upon a time), but I think most of the above applies. If you are going to make reference to norms (theory, side bias, etc.), please explain them. Otherwise, just debate!

PF Addendum

This is very similar to the LD addendum with the caveat that I strongly prefer evidence be presented as cards rather than paraphrasing. I find it incredibly difficult to evaluate the quality of evidence when I have to locate the original source for every issue, and as a result, I am likely to discount that evidence compared to evidence where I can clearly view the surrounding sentence/paragraph/context.

Westminster 2017 - marybryceb@gmail.com

I'm a senior at Westminster and I'm a 2A. At some point over the past four years I've been every combination of speaker positions (except for ins & outs).

General --

Please do not try and over-adapt to my philosophy, what I have below is only general guidelines to how I evaluate/think about debates. I would much rather see a good debate and watch you do what you do best.

I don't take prep. for flashing/emailing.

If there is an email chain, I want to be on it. (See email above.)

PLEASE be nice to your partner and everyone else in the round. 

Dropped arguments have to be extended and explained for me to vote on them.

Also if you're funny, please be funny - I love funny people.

Case -- 

The internal links are usually the weakest part of the aff. Make smart analytics, exploit the fact that their internal links don't make sense. This will get you much farther in a debate than reading 10 generic impact defense cards. Although make sure to read Impact D too.

Cross-ex --

Cross-ex is a great time to destroy the aff. Again, attack the internal links.

Only interrupt your partners cross-ex if you are otherwise going to lose the debate.

DAs --

The more specific, the better. No debate is better than a good DA + case debate.

Impact Turns --

These are probably my favorite argument. However, one thing I have noticed in these debates, both from judging them and debating in them, is that they can great extremely messy. Therefore, please make sure you spend a lot of time on framing the debate and giving me a lens through which I should evaluate the debate. A debate that comes down to me just reading a bunch of cards can be very risky for both sides. (This tip about framing the debate/good overview explanation applies to all debates, not just impact turn debates, although it is especially important for those.)

CPs --

Perms do not need to have a net benefit and do not need to be topical. 

Explain clearly how the CP solves the aff. A key thing in doing this is answering all the solvency deficits, no matter how small or dumb they may seem at first. A good 2A can, and should, expand on any the neg. blows off. The aff should also impact their solvency deficits in terms of their advantages and how it affects their terminal impacts. 2As should always try to read an add-on that the CP can't solve for.

I will not kick the CP for the neg. unless I am explicitly instructed to in the 2NR. However, if this argument is at all answered by the aff, it becomes extremely unlikely for the negative that I will kick the CP for them.

Theory --

Condo - 1 K and 1 CP (or 2 condo) is probably fine and any less conditional advocacies than that is fine. More than two conditional options can get risky for the negative, but I can definitely be persuaded otherwise.

Delay CPs, Consult CPs that aren't related to the topic, and some process CPs are all most likely very cheating and a reason to vote aff.

Other - If they don't go for the cheating CP/perm, theory is a reason to reject the argument, not the team.

T -- 

I love a good T debate. A "good T debate" is one where the violation is explained, supported by a good definition and the impacts are explained well in terms of how it affects the topic. Do not just read a generic limits DA, make sure all the arguments you are making are contextualized to the aff/the violation you read. Specificity goes a long way.

Specificity goes a long way.

Aff v. T - defend your interpretation. Explain to me why your interpretation is the best vision for the topic. Reasonability is also important and can go a long way. Explain how your aff meets the core topic controversy.

Ks --

The more generic the K, the better off you are. The more obscure the K is, the more explanation that will be required by the negative. I will not be happy if you are reading a K for the purpose of confusing the other team or ignoring the line-by-line. You should be able to understand the argument you are reading and be able to explain it beyond just buzzwords. Contextualize any links to the aff.

Aff v. K - Defend your aff! Heg is good, empiricism good, reformism good, state good, fiat good, etc. are all arguments I am easily persuaded by. Do not neglect framework. That being said though, I do feel very strongly that weighing the aff is good and should be done.

"Role of the ballot" debating is arbitrary and an excuse for lazy debating. Instead of making arguments that are "Vote (neg/aff) to challenge (x)", instead win that challenging (x) actually outweighs the other teams arguments.

I default to util, but can be persuaded otherwise.

I will not vote on death good.

Planless Affs --

I think the aff should defend a topical action by the USfg. T-USfg is a very persausive argument. If you are the team who is aff in this debate, focus on explaning why reading your aff in a debate round is important and why the education you present in the round cannot be accessed other places (warning: this is an uphill battle). Overall, I am probably not the best judge for you if you do not read a plan.

Last Thoughts --

If you have any questions feel free to email me.

If you read through all of this and still want more info about me as a judge, go read DHeidt's judge philosophy, because I 100% agree with it.

Be nice and have fun!

Background: Debated mostly Policy Debate for 4 years at Marist School although I did a couple of PF tournaments here and there.

Email: bnq2658@gmail.com

Last Update 11/16/16

Policy Paradigm

Summary: I usually prefer DA Case CP debate but K's are fine if I can understand it. Really don't want to vote on theory though. 

General Things

• I don't take prep for flashing or emailing unless the tournament is running behind or tab is nagging me to get done faster
• Keep the debate calm and more relaxed
• I probably won't look at evidence unless it is specifically indicted or highlighted

China Topic

• I haven't had a lot of experience with this topic so please don't use too many abbreviations and acronyms
• I don't know much about China policy as of this year but I know a good amount of Japanese politics and policy if that helps you at all

Case

• Please don't read an econ impact in front of me if your internal links aren't amazing. I study economics and unless your internal link and solvency cards are by economists with a ton of numbers. I like warming impacts and sciencey impacts like nuclear fusion since they interest me and I would probably more likely to pay attention to them
• I'm getting tired of heavy impact debates and overviews. It seems like most of the time the debate boils down to nothing
• Solvency debates and debates about the actual aff are the most enjoyable for me since they make the debate less generic. They also have to be explained a lot more in detail since I probably won't know it

DA

• I really like DA debates
• The DA debate is probably going to be won or lost at the link level so I would probably focus on that 

Counterplans

• I like CP's but I'm sometimes easily confused about what they do so you have to make it clear in CX or the 2NC as to what it does
• I'm fine with judge kicking the CP even if you don't say it, given you extend case

K's

• I'm very hit or miss when it comes to K's. Often I get very confused by the barrage of information 2N's introduce in the block. Here's my advice if you decide to go for a K in front of me, slow down when you get to the K flow and explain everything as if I've never debated before
• K debates are way too technical and I hate that. Debate the K like how your authors would, slowly and philosophically 
• The link debate is honestly the only important thing about the K debate. If you run a K, I'm pretty much going to agree that you that you will outweigh the aff. I will, however, give you a much higher threshold to meet for the link so you need to spend about 75% of your time on the link debate
• K tricks are stupid and cheap ways to win rounds so I'm probably not voting for them 
• On the aff the first thing you should do is just hammer that 1NC link evidence. It's usually super generic 

T

• I probably won't for T unless it is pretty much obvious that the aff is untopical. I'm probably going to default to reasonability
• If it is a questionable aff, then please make the impacts clear and go slow. 
• If you prove that the aff is untopical but still lose the impact debate then I'll probably still just vote for you

Non-Traditional Arguments

• I honestly don't know how I feel about these since I've only encountered a single unorthodox debate. I would prefer it if your argument is topical
• If you do something really weird I'm probably going to have this confused look on my face and default to the more orthodox team

Theory

I hate voting on theory. Please don't make it a theory debate and if you do slow down. Theory about one specific argument is a reason to reject the argument.

• Word PICs: have to be extremely justifiable
• 50 State Fiat: stupid but not an immediate reason to reject
• International Fiat: good
• Consult and Conditions CP's: depends on the solvency advocate
• Condo: probably won't vote on unless dropped or perfcon
• Multiplank CP's: fine if you have a solvency advocate for each plank
• CP Perms: can make the CP go away, not sure about it as an advocacy
• K Perms: kind of dumb. Just go for the no link

Grady High School 2016 - 4 years Policy

I've been out of the debate scene for the past 2ish years so haven't kept up to date about the 'K affs vs. framework' debate. I've read K affs and gone for framework so I'm open to either side as long as positions are clearly argued.

CP's - Great. Generic Consult/Process counterplans are an uphill battle though.

DA's/Case - Always a solid option. If you can prove there's no risk of the aff, then I'm willing to vote on presumption.

Kritiks - I'm pretty comfortable with kritik literature so feel free to read whatever.

Topicality - Always a voting issue & I'll evaluate it before I look at theory.

Theory - Should always be contextualized with examples of in-round abuse.

Reid Funston
Pace Academy '16
Dartmouth '20

I'm currently a sophomore debating at Dartmouth. I used to go almost exclusively for policy arguments but most of my 2NRs this season in college have been the Cap K or a process counterplan. Read whatever you want, I do my best not to be ideological in judging.

I'm getting real tired of people overusing "conceded" when the other team didn't concede the argument. If you do this excessively, it will be reflected in your speaker points.

Specific argumentative Stuff:

Case debating: Big fan. Impact turns are cool, If they're creative and executed well it's even better. I'm super into the block where the 2NC is all offense on one advantage and the 1NR is defense to the other.

Counterplans: The neg is in a good place on theory if they have evidence in the context of specific to the aff or topic/solid distinctions from the aff. I like creative cheating counterplans.

Theory: I really enjoy good counterplan theory debates. I lean neg on condo.

Topicality: I default to competing interpretations but reasonability is winnable.

"Topicality": To be transparent, I go for T-USFG/framework/parametrics/whatever your preferred term is a lot. That said, I'm not ideologically biased towards it and I don't think I'm bad for the aff on T - I'm pretty familiar with a lot of critical theory and I find it really interesting/like debating and evaluating it. I really like specific impact turns to T in particular. Neg, don't go for deliberation/skills impacts - they're dumb and the aff will probably beat you on "our thing's better/unique for skills/etc." If you have a sweet specific strategy that isn't T I'll bump your speaks a bit.

The K: I like it if it's explained well, I strongly dislike it if it's hyper-generic and not explained well. I get impressed by good specific link debating.

Final Miscellaneous Stuff:
-I'll reward bold moves by either side if they turn out well. Even if they don't, I may still think it was a cool idea and boost your speaks.

Michigan '21

Westminster '17

Add me to the email chain- thelasthall@gmail.com

*PF Version

I debated & judged in Policy for about 10 years- this is the first time I have experienced Public Forum debate. Please bear with me as I learn the procedures and rules.

I value well-reasoned arguments that can account for, overcome or dismiss the opponents' arguments. Evidence/cards are good, but need to be explained within the context of your argument.

I'm fine with speed, as long as I can understand what you're saying. Flowing/note-taking is good, I will be doing it. Argument wins debates, style is fun.

I will enter all debates with an unbiased perspective on the arguments.

* Policy Version

NDCA Update

I am the judge to read risky arguments in front of. Some arguments I miss hearing and weirdly have a lot of experience with: dedev, co2 good, anthro, buddhism, t substantial (Neg: do the math, Aff: say math is arbitrary), International fiat. Maybe someone reads Malthus. Keep it interesting.

But there's a caveat. Here are some arguments I never understood and would rather not judge: Heg Bad, Courts Disads, the generic Security K, high food prices good/bad. Basically anything relating to IR...

Read what you want, just don't be rude. Plan or no plan, just win it, champ. I've gone for most arguments. I like bold strategies (think 8 minutes of politics, or just an impact turn, etc.)

Teams can win either side of Framework in front of me. I've read plans (most years), I've read no plan (2 years). That said, my voting record might show a bit of Neg leaning on Framework. Affs trying to beat that: win the TVA is bad and doesn't solve your offense, win the impact debate.

While I hope nobody prefs me, I'm a good* judge for nearly anything.

- *I don't like to use my noggin very much, so go for the easy win. I prefer teams going for the path of least resistance than necessarily taking the core of their arguments head-on (I'd rather judge a pic than a big deterrence good/bad debate). But if that's your thing, then by all means.

General Notes

- I'm very flow-centric. Dropped arg is true, but you gotta give me some semblance of a warrant for it to actually matter. I'm not big on judge intervention, but keep in mind that if neither team explains how I should evaluate some arguments/their implications, I'm probably gonna have to sort that out myself.

- Don't be mean to your partner or opponents.

- I don't know what the high school resolution is, and won't know beyond a surface understanding. Don't make assumptions about community consensus or acronym usage.

Theory

- Win your impact outweighs/turns theirs, and deal with the line-by-line.

- I want to reject the argument, not the team for all theory except Conditionality.

- I lean Neg instinctually on all theory, but, again, if you win I should vote Aff on Conditions CPs bad, then you win. Shooting your shot won't affect your speaks too, if there was good reason to do so.

- Perms are tests of competitions - don't advocate the perm in the 2AR unless they've dropped a normal means argument or something and it's actually useful.

CPs

- Goes hand-in-hand with theory, I never liked judges imposing their own views here. If you win it's legit, then it's legit.

- I've always been a big fan of the CP/DA 2nr. I almost always recommend that over DA/Case.

- I always view a CP through sufficiency framing. If the Neg wins that the CP solves most of the Aff, and that the net benefit outweighs the small risk/impact of a solvency deficit, I vote Neg.

- For the Aff, make all the arguments in the 2AC. Links to net benefit, perms, solvency deficits, etc etc. I know I said I'm Neg on theory, but I also will vote Aff on an intrinsic perm if the Neg fails to win that intrinsicness is bad. To beat sufficiency framing, you've gotta really explain and impact the solvency deficit - why is this more important than the net benefit?

Disads

- Usually filter it through the link primarily, but obviously uniqueness is important too.

- Impact calc is huge, especially turns case.

K (read: Planless) Affs

- I'm pretty familiar with most of the lit/arguments read in these debates.

- Framework isn't an auto-ballot for me. Neither is framework-bad.

- Teams should establish and win why I should give them the ballot.

Ks on the Neg

- Please don't just read pre-scripted blocks. This applies to all arguments, but I see it most frequently with these debates. I don't like big overviews because they incentivize teams to forego line-by-line debating.

- Whatever your big piece of offense is, explain why it matters. If you win framework, what does that mean for the rest of the flow? Same for the links.

- I'm not a great judge for Ks that rely on framework for winning. It's really hard to convince me not to weigh representations/assumptions in the context of the plan. I also rarely hear solid explanations for what it means for the Neg to win framework, and how that implicates the rest of the debate. If I can, I will deprioritize framework in my decision

- Link debating is also really important. Specific lines from 1AC cards will go a lot farther than generic reform-bad links. If possible, every link should have its own impact.

- I think Affs should get perms. Just like with a CP, the perm means the Neg has to prove exclusivity.

- I don't know what the word "Semiotics" means.

- If you read the Lanza card and give a warrant, I'll give you +.2 speaker points.

Ks on the Neg vs K Affs

- I will probably vote Aff on the perm. Obviously this depends on how the debating happens (including what the links and alt are), but this is my first instinct. Neg needs to win exclusivity.

- If the Neg wins that the Aff shouldn't get perms, then there ya go. But I hope the Aff can actually debate why they should get perms because I want to vote Aff on the perm.

- I don't like authenticity testing. There are always competitive incentives in debate that at least play some role.

Framework

- First, win why your impacts outweigh theirs.

- TVA is really useful for dealing with a lot of Aff offense, as are switch side, ballot not key, and whatever other tricks you got up your sleeve.

- Fairness can be an impact, it can not be an impact. Up to how the debate goes down. If you wanna win fairness as a terminal impact, you gotta be heavy on explaining that and why I should care.

T

- Been a while since I threw down on T. See earlier note- I don't know this resolution.

- Be clear about what the topic looks like under your interpretation.

- Neg needs a caselist, clear interpretation and violation, and most importantly: impact work.

- I've never understood the requirements for an Aff to beat T. If you win We Meet, then you don't need to win a counter-interpretation. If you win overlimiting, you also have to win why that's more important than the Neg's impacts.

Update for Harvard 2021

General background: I debated for 4 years at Paideia, and 4 years at UChicago. I have coached policy debate for 4 years, Parliamentary debate for 2, and have been fairly involved in the debate circuit more broadly for the last 8 years. I do not know the exact argument by argument minutia of the topics but I will give a quick rundown on argument types and how I view debate.

Policy Paradigm:

First, debate is a game. That does not mean I will vote neg on T, it just means that some of the paradigms of the game inform how I view the activity. I have a ton of experience with K arguments and love that debate. If you demonstrate why your version of the game is important I will evaluate it against what the neg says.

Stock arguments: I love the politics disad, almost all types of policy K's (think security, anthro etc.) I am fine with most T arguments but my bar for voting on T is probably high. You have to demonstrate why the aff is abusive, not necessarily whether it is the most predictable, and giving specific examples is more important than doing hand wavy topical version of the aff stuff.

Framework: see "debate is probably a game" stuff.

Counterplan competition: please prove the abuse to me.

"I am a K debater": Love to hear it, I will vote for you if your arguments are engaging, have an impact, and have some weak ability to either solve for that impact or explain why solvency is not important. I will still evaluate your arguments against the neg though, and believe that T functions not only as a referendum on the framework of the debate, but on the arguments of the neg.

PF Paradigm:

Honestly I don't have a ton of experience in PF but please just remember fundamental claim, warrant implication and you will be fine with me. I do like strong evidence!

Best judge philosophies ever written

https://judgephilosophies.wikispaces.com/Jaramillo%2C%20Ricardo

https://judgephilosophies.wikispaces.com/Forslund%2C%20Eric

http://judgephilosophies.wikispaces.com/Matheson%2C%20Calum

Debated four years at Riverwood International Charter School (GA). Not involved in the collegiate scene but do keep up with high school circuit.

General:

• Open to any argument, given that there an adquate work and warrant on top. I certainly lean towards great technical debate wtih solid evidence comparison and anaylsis.
• Speed is fine, and I will note to tell you to slow/clear if you're being unclear. That said, I will not evaluate or flow arguments I cannot understand. So do enuciate on what you want me to evaluate.
• Be nice. If not, at least be funny.
• You'll know if I like the argument or if I hate it. Use that to your advantage.

• I'd like to believe that I'm Tab, but may be a little biased. Shouldn't be an issue.

Theory/T:

• If you want to win on these, you heavily need to invest your time on these.
• Don't like RVIs. 
• Default naturally to Reasonability if uncontested. 
• Good interp/violations and counterinterp are what I like to see. Slow down on these parts.
• Have high threshold
• Blocks are there to guide you, not do everything for you

K:

• Do like these, but are not familiar with some.
• Have specific impact back to a framework.
• Really want to understand alt and have a clear idea of K's that you run. Have a good link. 

CP:

• Biased to protect aff from abusive CP, ie consult, condition, threaten, Plan-plus. Don't really think that these CPs really allow for the discussion of the literature.
• Please have solvency advocate and links.

DA:

•  Don't like generic DA. You can definitely run it, but do have good links. If not, your whole DA wouldn't really matter, would it?
• Believe that aff can usually create a good defense more often than not.

Speaker points:

• Don't ask beforehand what you need to get for perfect speaks. Just do your best.
• Don't let me do your work for you. You'll probably have better speaks if you make me think less.
• I will more often than not look at CX heavily in addition to your speeches. 
• You earn your points. I will start at 27.5 and add or subtract from that point.

After all, remember to enjoy and have fun. Debate is an educational activity, and I will try my best to accommodate you. 

Calhoun 2017

University of Pittsburgh 2021

Current School Affiliations - Unionville (2017-)

Put me on the email chain - hku426@gmail.com

1) Everything is debatable. “Either defend it, or don’t say it. Defend everything.”

2) You should frame the debate at the end of the 2NR and 2AR. If you don’t, it will make the debate incredibly frustrating to resolve and inevitably lead to some form of judge intervention.

3) Any specific thoughts I have about debate are my opinions and will not influence the round as much as you think it will. I am a flow-oriented judge so it’s up to you what you do with my time.

4) If you have any questions about college debate or possibly attending the University of Pittsburgh, talk to me after the round

General Gripes about Debate:

First and foremost, stop saying “T not FW.” It’s a waste of your time. Just call it framework because there is no meaningful distinction that you will make that will convince me otherwise.

That being said, framework is incredibly strategic when done correctly and I enjoy being in clash debates. Fairness should be an internal link to education not as an impact in itself. Oftentimes I find explanations of fairness being tautological, however, that does not mean you can’t go for fairness as an impact. This means that your explanation of fairness should be better than usual.

The normative interpretation of fiat is based on a hypothetical implementation of the plan and I default to this interpretation unless told otherwise. Just because this is a normative standard in debate does not mean it should be the sole interpretation of debate.

I am generally unhappy with the trend of teams reading 6/7-minute overviews then leaving 1 minute for the line by line. Engagement is non-negotiable – You have to answer the aff. It is, in fact, harder to answer nuanced criticisms of the aff versus more of your generic K cards so you should take the opportunity to maximize your offense.

Teams should almost never sacrifice their clarity for speed. Being a fast debater means that it should not be the literal speed that matters, but rather the number of arguments clearly communicated to the judge. This is especially true for theory, topicality, and k debates. I don’t have the best hearing so it is in your best interest to slow down.

Last Updated
January 27, 2017

Background
Alpharetta High School Alumni
Freshman at UGA - not debating 
2A for four years (never been a 2N)

Rounds
Constraints: Alpharetta HS
Quick Overview: Read anything- I have my obvious constraints and pre dispositions which will be discussed below. You should read arguments you’re the most comfortable on, but this is not a replacement for sketchiness or trickery. Have fun! That’s why we do this activity

Anything not covered or explained here? Ask me anything you need to before rounds, and/or email me whenever –vaibhavkumar238@gmail.com


The quick version:
1. Be Nice!- We all do debate because of the educational value we gain from it and the friends we make in it. Make sure you always respect everyone in the room- your partner, opponent, and judge.
*There is a difference between being assertive and being rude. Don’t cross that line or it will affect your speaks. 
2. Impact CalcFraming­- This is the most important to me. Tell me how I should look at the debate after the round is over. This is especially true with the last rebuttals (but should be started earlier). You need to explain the impact and compare it with other impacts. Along with these come framing issues on how I should look at the overall debate. This needs to be explained because the last thing I wanna hear is “Look at the UQ debate through the lens of PC” and no explanation. These framing issues also need to be answered and compared- these are the best debates to judge. 
3. Evidence Comparison- I love LOVE LOVE good evidence. Compare it. Tell me why yours is better and why I should look at it first. I will NOT read cards after a round unless I need to. 
*Default to our evidence because it is newer is not an argument- give me a reason on why
4. Jokes- I am open to lots of jokes and I really wanna hear that. My partner has been Sachin Kashibatla for four years and I debated with Harrison Hall at camp. If you know either than them you should know I am pretty good with jokes/trolls. (don’t cross the line tho). If you make a good joke and I send it to Harrison Hall and Joel Veizi and they both give it above a 29 I will add .1 speaks. 
5. Tech o/w Truth all the time- This has two parts. In a debate if the other team out techs you even if they are wrong on something I will vote on tech. Secondly, I think that you can read ANY argument in debate but I think reading arguments like death good, racism good, suicide rhetoric good, etc. can get beaten VERY VERY VERY easily and will affect your speaks DRASTICALLY. 

DA:
- Probably my favorite negative position 
- I would always love a politics case throw down.
- Clear impact comparison, as said before- you need to do specific turn’s case stuff. War turns the environment is not a good turns case. DA’s that access the internal link of the aff are the best
- Carded turns case arguments are so so so important. 
- Subpointing is very important and makes flowing easy- if you do this your speaker points will be rewarded. 


CP:
- Specificity specificity specificity- The more specific the better for you- make sure it is competitive- remember I was a 2A so I am more aff leaning on competition but don’t take this as a free ticket aff- explain the competition arguments well
- I HATE THE WORD JUDGE KICK- As Andrea Reed said at camp- “What is judge kick? Say it one more time and I will judge kick you in the face!” 
- The negative should not have fiat ;)


K:
- I have not read as much into K literature so I am not as familiar with some arguments. I REALLY do like some K’s such as neolib (@Fangwei) and security but if you are those one off Death K’s or K’s (@Reed) that make me rethink my existence I am not the best judge for you.
- These also have implications- link debate is hella important like most other judges- CONTEXTUALIZE IT TO THE AFF- I hate K debates that are general but I LOVE K DEBATES THAT ARE SPECIFIC- I want to know what about the aff is neoliberal or securitizes, what epistemology is bankrupt, etc.
- I dislike 2NC’s that start off and spur “ k tricks”- if I hear “Fiat is illusory”, “serial policy failure”, and the Kappler card in ten seconds I might start laughing.
- I am not Buddhist


Case: Love this so much. Do some research and make it specific. NOTHING and I repeat NOTHING is better when you embarrass the aff team in CX, because YOU did research on THEIR aff.
*Please don’t be the team that just reads impact D- specific 1AC indicts and internal link defense will be rewarded BUT I do think that impact D is important in the 2NC so the aff cant just claim try or die. 


Non-Traditional ArgumentsFramework:
- I am friends with Joey Weideman and we love FW. This is where my biggest problem comes down for me. I think that the affirmative has to defend a topical governmental plan. I am REALLY convinced by framework argument so please try to adapt to your judge- if you are unable too just know that it is an very big uphill battle for me.
- Just remember friends - Framework makes the game work. 
- Debate is a game T:
- I like these debates
- The 2NR and 2AR should do two things-
1. Explain how the negative’s vision of debate via their interpretation is bad and vice versa for the affirmative.
2. Compare evidence such as the counter interpretation- explain why one is better and why I should prefer one- these are the important in these debates as it chooses what interpretation I should side with. 
- Limits and grounds are great
- Note: I do not know anything about the topic so explain and do not use acronyms. 

Theory:
- DON’T BE BLIPPLY
- This needs to be impacted well by both sides of the debate
- As a 2A, I lean aff on somethings but I can very easily be convinced both ways. If you are reading more than 2 conditional advocacies why stop at 3. Just read 6. One great debater from Iowa City once said "Picking between conditional options is like picking between your favorite kids. You just don't do that"- Joey Weideman or better known as Hegemon66. 
Neutral- condo
Negative- International CP, Multiplank CP (limit though), Logical CP with no solvency Advocate, PIC in literature 
Affirmative- PIK, Word PIC, ConsultProcess CP (uncompetitive CP)
- "Do things to the other team, that if they were your dog you would go to jail" - Dave Arnett


Random
1. I love email chains- save time for all of us. If it is a flashdrive no preparation for flashing (unless we are low on time) BUT don’t be annoying about this. 
2. Update your wiki- I know I have no control over this but if I come into a round and the other team is not aware of past 1NC strategies and past 1AC’s read it will jack your ethos and cred infront of me- it might affect some speaks as well. 
3. Dont clip- you will lose

A few things about me (TLDR version):

I'm a senior debater at the University of Georgia. I debated for Johns Creek High School and Mount Vernon Presbyterian School.

Plans are good

Impact calculus is important. Framing the debate round is very important.

Clarity > Speed

Cross-ex is binding

Have fun and don't be rude.

Long version:

Framework - I'm a good judge for framework. Debate is a game and framework is procedural question. I’m persuaded by negative appeals to limits and I think fairness is an impact in and of itself. I don’t think the topical version of the aff needs to “solve” in the same way the aff does. If there are DA's to the topical version of the aff, that seems to prove neg ground under the negative’s vision of debate.

Kritiks - I think it's really hard for the neg to win that the aff shouldn't get to weigh the plan provided the aff answers framework well. I've got a decent grasp on the literature surrounding critical security studies, critiques of capitalism, and feminist critiques of IR. The aff should focus on attacking the alternative both at a substance and theoretical level. It's critical that the 2AR defines the solvency deficits to the alternative and weigh that against the case. Negative debaters should spend more time talking about the case in the context of the kritik. A good warranted link and turns the case debates are the best way for negative teams to get my ballot. Tell me how the links to the aff uniquely lead to the impacts.

Counterplans - My initial impression of whether your counterplan is legitimate will be whether or not you have a specific solvency advocate. There's nothing better than a well-researched mechanism counterplan and there's nothing worse than a hyper-generic process counterplan that you recycle for every negative debate on the topic. I generally think that 2 conditional options are good, but I can be persuaded by 3 condo is okay. PICs are probably good. Consult/Conditioning/delay counterplans, international fiat, and 50 state fiat are bad.

Disads- I love a good DA and case debate. I've gone for the politics DA a lot in my college career. Normally uniqueness controls the link, but I can persuaded otherwise. Impact calc and good turns cases analysis is the best!

Paperless: If you are doing an e-mail chain please put me on it. My email is miriam.mokhemar@gmail.com. If you are flashing, prep time ends when the flash drive leaves your computer. If your computer crashes, stop the timer until you can get your doc back up.

Woodward '17

UGA '21

Yes, I would like to be on the email chain: rishika.pandey21@gmail.com

Feel free to ask me any questions before the round or email me afterwards, I'm here to help!

When reading through these comments, just remember that they reflect my background and thoughts based on debates that I've had, watched, or judged so far - don't let them determine your neg strat or 2AR decisions. You do you. I can keep up.

General comments:

1. Be nice. There's a difference between confidence and rudeness, and I will dock speaker points if you are rude/offensive to anyone (yes, including me and your own partner) in the room at any point.

2. If I have to remind you to be clear, then you shouldn't expect above a 28. Use your words.

3. Prep-time: I'll stop the timer when you tell me the speech doc is done; however, if it takes you too long to email/flash the speech to everyone, I'll probably be suspicious and dock prep time.

4. I read evidence apposite to the nexus question of the debate.

5. Yes, absolute defense is possible.

6. Smart analytics over trash evidence.

7. Evidence - don't underhighlight, clip, or do any of that cheat-y stuff. You're not as cool or sneaky as you think you are.

Specific arguments:

T - Nuanced T debates are great. T over theory unless explained otherwise. Reasonability is fair if the neg interp is meta and non-specific to the aff. You need to explain what the topic would look like under your interp and provide clear case lists and DAs to the other team's interpretation.

DAs - GOOD aff-specific researched DAs are pretty much my favorite arguments. On the other hand, I'm fine listening to politics and other general topic DAs (although you'll have a harder time convincing me to vote for your generic budget or trade-off DA).

CPs - I get excited judging innovative CPs. Defend your CP against CP theory, especially if you think you have a great solvency advocate (though not all CPs need one). No, I won't "judge-kick" a CP for you - you need to make a decision and stick to it.

Theory - 1-2 conditional advocacies is fine; any more is probably excessive and/or abusive. Politics theory is fine as a time-skew, but I'm not likely to vote on it. Floating PIKs/PICs and process CPs are generally bad.

Ks - I'm good with most general/topic/identity/reps critiques, but not necessarily all of the high-theory Name Ks. The best Ks in front of me are contextualized to the aff (using aff evidence as links). Clear explanations and in-depth analysis will most likely help you win a K debate in front of me, not just evidence.

Affs/case - Affs should generally have a plan text/advocacy statement, but I'll listen to affs that don't. Also, case debates are AWESOME and way too undervalued - I love impact turns, alt causes, link turns, etc. Be innovative.

For extra clarity, if necessary, my debate ideology has been strongly influenced by Maggie Berthiaume - see her paradigm.

Marist, Atlanta, GA (2015-2019, 2020-Present)
Pace Academy, Atlanta GA (2019-2020)
Stratford Academy, Macon GA (2008-2015)
Michigan State University (2004-2008)

Pronouns- She/Her

Please use email chains. Please add me- abby.schirmer@gmail.com.

Short version- You need to read and defend a plan in front of me. I value clarity (in both a strategic and vocal sense) and strategy. A good strategic aff or neg strat will always win out over something haphazardly put together. Impact your arguments, impact them against your opponents arguments (This is just as true with a critical strategy as it is with a DA, CP, Case Strategy). I like to read evidence during the debate. I usually make decisions pretty quickly. Typically I can see the nexus question of the debate clearly by the 2nr/2ar and when (if) its resolved, its resolved. Don't take it personally.

Long Version:
Case Debate- I like specific case debate. Shows you put in the hard work it takes to research and defeat the aff. I will reward hard work if there is solid Internal link debating. I think case specific disads are also pretty good if well thought out and executed. I like impact turn debates. Cleanly executed ones will usually result in a neg ballot -- messy debates, however, will not.

Disads- Defense and offense should be present, especially in a link turn/impact turn debate. You will only win an impact turn debate if you first have defense against their original disad impacts. I'm willing to vote on defense (at least assign a relatively low probability to a DA in the presence of compelling aff defense). Defense wins championships. Impact calc is important. I think this is a debate that should start early (2ac) and shouldn't end until the debate is over. I don't think the U necessarily controls the direction of the link, but can be persuaded it does if told and explained why that true.

K's- Im better for the K now than i have been in years past. That being said, Im better for security/international relations/neolib based ks than i am for race, gender, psycho, baudrillard etc . I tend to find specific Ks (ie specific to the aff's mechanism/advantages etc) the most appealing. If you're going for a K-- 1) please don't expect me to know weird or specific ultra critical jargon... b/c i probably wont. 2) Cheat- I vote on K tricks all the time (aff don't make me do this). 3) Make the link debate as specific as possible and pull examples straight from the aff's evidence and the debate in general 4) I totally geek out for well explained historical examples that prove your link/impact args. I think getting to weigh the aff is a god given right. Role of the ballot should be a question that gets debated out. What does the ballot mean with in your framework. These debates should NOT be happening in the 2NR/2AR-- they should start as early as possible. I think debates about competing methods are fine. I think floating pics are also fine (unless told otherwise). I think epistemology debates are interesting. K debates need some discussion of an impact-- i do not know what it means to say..."the ZERO POINT OF THE Holocaust." I think having an external impact is also good - turning the case alone, or making their impacts inevitable isn't enough. There also needs to be some articulation of what the alternative does... voting neg doesn't mean that your links go away. I will vote on the perm if its articulated well and if its a reason why plan plus alt would overcome any of the link questions. Link defense needs to accompany these debates.

K affs are fine- you have to have a plan. You should defend that plan. Affs who don't will prob lose to framework. A alot.... and with that we come to:

NonTraditional Teams-
If not defending a plan is your thing, I'm not your judge. I think topical plans are good. I think the aff needs to read a topical plan and defend the action of that topical plan. I don't think using the USFG is an endorsement of its racist, sexist, homophobic or ableist ways. I think affs who debate this way tend to leave zero ground for the negative to engage which defeats the entire point of the activity. I am persuaded by T/Framework in these scenarios. I also think if you've made the good faith effort to engage, then you should be rewarded. These arguments make a little more sense on the negative but I am not compelled by arguments that claim: "you didn't talk about it, so you should lose."

CPs- Defending the SQ is a bold strat. Multiple conditional (or dispo/uncondish) CPs are also fine. Condo is probably good, but i can be persuaded otherwise. Consult away- its arbitrary to hate them in light of the fact that everything else is fine. I lean neg on CP theory. Aff's make sure you perm the CP (and all its planks). Im willing to judge kick the CP for you. If i determine that the CP is not competitive, or that its a worse option - the CP will go away and you'll be left with whatever is left (NBs or Solvency turns etc). This is only true if the AFF says nothing to the contrary. (ie. The aff has to tell me NOT to kick the CP - and win that issue in the debate). I WILL NOT VOTE ON NO NEG FIAT. That argument makes me mad. Of course the neg gets fiat. Don't be absurd.

T- I default to offense/defense type framework, but can be persuaded otherwise. Impact your reasons why I should vote neg. You need to have unique offense on T. K's of T are stupid. I think the aff has to run a topical aff, and K-ing that logic is ridiculous. T isn't racist. RVIs are never ever compelling.... ever.

Theory- I tend to lean neg on theory. Condo- Good. More than two then the aff might have a case to make as to why its bad - i've voted aff on Condo, I've voted neg on condo. Its a debate to be had. Any other theory argument I think is categorically a reason to reject the argument and not the team. I can't figure out a reason why if the aff wins international fiat is bad that means the neg loses - i just think that means the CP goes away.

Remember!!! All of this is just a guide for how you chose your args in round. I will vote on most args if they are argued well and have some sort of an impact. Evidence comparison is also good in my book-- its not done enough and i think its one of the most valuable ways to create an ethos of control with in the debate. Perception is everything, especially if you control the spin of the debate. I will read evidence if i need to-- don't volunteer it and don't give me more than i ask for. I love fun debates, i like people who are nice, i like people who are funny... i will reward you with good points if you are both. Be nice to your partner and your opponents. No need to be a jerk for no reason

add me to the email chain: whit211@gmail.com

Do not utter the phrase "plan text in a vacuum" or any other clever euphemism for it. It's not an argument, I won't vote on it, and you'll lose speaker points for advancing it. You should defend your plan, and I should be able to tell what the plan does by reading it.

Inserting things into the debate isn't a thing. If you want me to evaluate evidence, you should read it in the debate.

Cross-ex time is cross-ex time, not prep time. Ask questions or use your prep time, unless the tournament has an official "alt use" time rule.

You should debate line by line. That means case arguments should be responded to in the 1NC order and off case arguments should be responded to in the 2AC order. I continue to grow frustrated with teams that do not flow. If I suspect you are not flowing (I visibly see you not doing it; you answer arguments that were not made in the previous speech but were in the speech doc; you answer arguments in speech doc order instead of speech order), you will receive no higher than a 28. This includes teams that like to "group" the 2ac into sections and just read blocks in the 2NC/1NR. Also, read cards. I don't want to hear a block with no cards. This is a research activity.

Debate the round in a manner that you would like and defend it. I consistently vote for arguments that I don’t agree with and positions that I don’t necessarily think are good for debate. I have some pretty deeply held beliefs about debate, but I’m not so conceited that I think I have it all figured out. I still try to be as objective as possible in deciding rounds. All that being said, the following can be used to determine what I will most likely be persuaded by in close calls:

If I had my druthers, every 2nr would be a counterplan/disad or disad/case.

In the battle between truth and tech, I think I fall slightly on side of truth. That doesn’t mean that you can go around dropping arguments and then point out some fatal flaw in their logic in the 2AR. It does mean that some arguments are so poor as to necessitate only one response, and, as long as we are on the same page about what that argument is, it is ok if the explanation of that argument is shallow for most of the debate. True arguments aren’t always supported by evidence, but it certainly helps.

I think research is the most important aspect of debate. I make an effort to reward teams that work hard and do quality research on the topic, and arguments about preserving and improving topic specific education carry a lot of weight with me. However, it is not enough to read a wreck of good cards and tell me to read them. Teams that have actually worked hard tend to not only read quality evidence, but also execute and explain the arguments in the evidence well. I think there is an under-highlighting epidemic in debates, but I am willing to give debaters who know their evidence well enough to reference unhighlighted portions in the debate some leeway when comparing evidence after the round.

I think the affirmative should have a plan. I think the plan should be topical. I think topicality is a voting issue. I think teams that make a choice to not be topical are actively attempting to exclude the negative team from the debate (not the other way around). If you are not going to read a plan or be topical, you are more likely to persuade me that what you are doing is ‘ok’ if you at least attempt to relate to or talk about the topic. Being a close parallel (advocating something that would result in something similar to the resolution) is much better than being tangentially related or directly opposed to the resolution. I don’t think negative teams go for framework enough. Fairness is an impact, not a internal link. Procedural fairness is a thing and the only real impact to framework. If you go for "policy debate is key to skills and education," you are likely to lose. Winning that procedural fairness outweighs is not a given. You still need to defend against the other team's skills, education and exclusion arguments.

I don’t think making a permutation is ever a reason to reject the affirmative. I don’t believe the affirmative should be allowed to sever any part of the plan, but I believe the affirmative is only responsible for the mandates of the plan. Other extraneous questions, like immediacy and certainty, can be assumed only in the absence of a counterplan that manipulates the answers to those questions. I think there are limited instances when intrinsicness perms can be justified. This usually happens when the perm is technically intrinsic, but is in the same spirit as an action the CP takes This obviously has implications for whether or not I feel some counterplans are ultimately competitive.

Because I think topic literature should drive debates (see above), I feel that both plans and counterplans should have solvency advocates. There is some gray area about what constitutes a solvency advocate, but I don’t think it is an arbitrary issue. Two cards about some obscure aspect of the plan that might not be the most desirable does not a pic make. Also, it doesn’t sit well with me when negative teams manipulate the unlimited power of negative fiat to get around literature based arguments against their counterplan (i.e. – there is a healthy debate about federal uniformity vs state innovation that you should engage if you are reading the states cp). Because I see this action as comparable to an affirmative intrinsicness answer, I am more likely to give the affirmative leeway on those arguments if the negative has a counterplan that fiats out of the best responses.

My personal belief is probably slightly affirmative on many theory questions, but I don’t think I have voted affirmative on a (non-dropped) theory argument in years. Most affirmatives are awful at debating theory. Conditionality is conditionality is conditionality. If you have won that conditionality is good, there is no need make some arbitrary interpretation that what you did in the 1NC is the upper limit of what should be allowed. On a related note, I think affirmatives that make interpretations like ‘one conditional cp is ok’ have not staked out a very strategic position in the debate and have instead ceded their best offense. Appeals to reciprocity make a lot sense to me. ‘Argument, not team’ makes sense for most theory arguments that are unrelated to the disposition of a counterplan or kritik, but I can be persuaded that time investment required for an affirmative team to win theory necessitates that it be a voting issue.

Critical teams that make arguments that are grounded in and specific to the topic are more successful in front of me than those that do not. It is even better if your arguments are highly specific to the affirmative in question. I enjoy it when you paint a picture for me with stories about why the plans harms wouldn’t actually happen or why the plan wouldn’t solve. I like to see critical teams make link arguments based on claims or evidence read by the affirmative. These link arguments don’t always have to be made with evidence, but it is beneficial if you can tie the specific analytical link to an evidence based claim. I think alternative solvency is usually the weakest aspect of the kritik. Affirmatives would be well served to spend cross-x and speech time addressing this issue. ‘Our authors have degrees/work at a think tank’ is not a response to an epistemological indict of your affirmative. Intelligent, well-articulated analytic arguments are often the most persuasive answers to a kritik. 'Fiat' isn't a link. If your only links are 'you read a plan' or 'you use the state,' or if your block consistently has zero cards (or so few that find yourself regularly sending out the 2nc in the body rather than speech doc) then you shouldn't be preffing me.

LD Specific Business:

I am primarily a policy coach with very little LD experience. Have a little patience with me when it comes to LD specific jargon or arguments. It would behoove you to do a little more explanation than you would give to a seasoned adjudicator in the back of the room. I will most likely judge LD rounds in the same way I judge policy rounds. Hopefully my policy philosophy below will give you some insight into how I view debate. I have little tolerance and a high threshold for voting on unwarranted theory arguments. I'm not likely to care that they dropped your 'g' subpoint, if it wasn't very good. RVI's aren't a thing, and I won't vote on them.

Judge Philosophy

Name: Lisa Willoughby

Current Affiliation: Midtown High School formerly Henry W. Grady High School

Conflicts: AUDL teams

Debate Experience: 1 year debating High School 1978-79, Coaching High School 1984-present

How many rounds have you judged in 2012-13: 50, 2013-2014: 45, 2015-2016: 25, 2016-17 15, 2017-2018: 30, 2018-19: 30, 2019-20:10, 2020-21: 40, 2021-2022: 35, 2022-2023:6

send evidence e-mail chain to quaintt@aol.com

I still view my self as a policy maker unless the debaters specify a different role for my ballot. I love impact comparison between disadvantages and advantages, what Rich Edwards used to call Desirability. I don’t mind the politics disad, but I am open to Kritiks of Politics.

I like Counterplans, especially case specific counterplans. I certainly think that some counterplans are arguably illegitimate; for example, I think that some international counterplans are utopian, and arguably claim advantages beyond the reciprocal scope of the affirmative, and are, therefore, unfair. I think that negatives should offer a solvency advocate for all aspects of their counterplan, and that multi-plank cps are problematic. I think that there are several reasons why consultation counterplans, and the States CP could be unfair. I will not vote unilaterally on any of these theoretical objections; the debaters need to demonstrate for me why a particular counterplan would be unfair.

I have a minor in Philosophy, and love good Kritik debate. Sadly, I have seen a lot of bad Kritik debate. I think that K debaters need to have a strong understanding of the K authors that they embrace. I really want to understand the alternative or the role of my ballot. I have no problem with a K Aff, but am certainly willing to vote on Framework/T against a case that does not have at least a clear advocacy statement that I can understand. I am persuadable on "AFF must be USFG."

I like Topicality, Theory and Framework arguments when they are merited. I want to see fair division of ground or discourse that allows both teams a chance to prepare and be ready to engage the arguments.

I prefer substance to theory; go for the theoretical objections when the abuse is real.

As for style, I love good line-by-line debate. I adore evidence comparison, and argument comparison. I am fairly comfortable with speed, but I like clarity. I have discovered that as I get older, I am very comfortable asking the students to "clear." I enjoy humor; I prefer entertaining cross-examinations to belligerent CX. Warrant your claims with evidence or reasoning.

Ultimately, I demand civility: any rhetoric, language, performance or interactions that demean, dehumanize or trivialize fellow debaters, their arguments or judges would be problematic, and I believe, a voting issue.

An occasional interruption of a partner’s speech or deferring to a more expert partner to answer a CX question is not a problem in my view. Generally only one debater at a time should be speaking. Interruptions of partner speeches or CX that makes one partner merely a ventriloquist for the other are extremely problematic.

Clipping cards is cheating. Quoting authors or evidence out of context, or distorting the original meaning of a text or narrative is both intellectually bankrupt and unfair.

There is no such thing as one ideal form or type of debate. I love the clash of ideas and argumentation. That said, I prefer discourse that is educational, and substantive. I want to walk away from a round, as I often do, feeling reassured that the policy makers, educators, and citizens of the future will seek to do a reasonable and ethical job of running the world.

For Lincoln Douglas debates:

I am "old school" and feel most comfortable in a Value/Criterion Framework, but it is your debate to frame. Because I judge policy frequently, I am comfortable with speed but generally find it is needless. Clarity is paramount. Because of the limited time, I find that I typically err AFF on theoretical objections much more than I would in a policy round.

I believe that any argument that an AFF wants to weigh in the 2AR needs to be in the 1AR. I will vote against new 2AR arguments.

I believe that NEG has an obligation to clash with the AFF. For this reason, a counterplan would only be justified in a round when the AFF argues for a plan; otherwise a counterplan is an argument for the AFF. The NEG must force a decision, and for that reason, I am not fond of what used to be called a 'balance neg.'

Debate

I'm pretty open minded to all argumets as long as they make sense and relate to the topic. I prefer policy affs just because I have more experience with them. Tag teaming in CX is acceptable so long as it is limited. Go as fast as you want as long as I can understand your tags and authors. If you don't signpost and you make it difficult for me to follow where you're going, I will give you no more than 28 speaker points. I do this for the betterment of your debating skills and for my own sanity. No judge likes having to scramble for another flow when they realize that you've changed. Anything that goes unanswered and is extended, I will probably consider to be true. I don't take prep for flashing.

Ks- I am fine with them if you explain it well. Keep in mind I don't spend much time reading K literature, so reading an obscure K is probably not a good idea.

Theory- I have a relatively high threshold for theory. I will only vote a team down on theory if the other team is decisively winning on it. Conditionality arguments (and all other theory arguments) are more persuasive with in round abuse. Despite my policy on dropped arguments, I will have a hard time voting down a team on theory outside of Condo, PICs, and PIKs.

As A Person

Don't be rude, especially not to your partner. This means don't cut them off too frequently in CX and don't shake your head in dismay when they do something wrong. In most rounds, it's pretty obvious who has the most experience, so if I notice that person being too hard on his/her partner, I've been known to dock speaker points. Also, have fun and by all means crack a few jokes (preferably Star Wars ones). We're all here for fun after after all.