I am a debate coach in PF, have experience with judging PF and have judged Congress for 1 year. To judge PF I rely on the following guidelines along with my debate experience as an observer, coach, and judge to inform how I strive to judge every debate. Included here, I am sure is info sourced from others. Here is how I judge:

I am not an interventionist, I have seen judges do this, it hurts both sides and has no place in a fair and unbiased tournament. In debate judging I try to keep what I look for simple:

Every argument a debater makes should come down to an impact.

Have a clear statement of the claim that tells me what the argument is.

Provide a warrant, logically explain the reason why the claim is true.

Provide evidence - empirical data that supports the claim and warrant with facts, examples, expert analysis.

Provide impact- positive or negative consequences that explain why the argument is significant to the judges vote.

Debaters are responsible for comparing their evidence and impacts to explain why they have won a particular argument and important to establish which voting issues should have priority in my decision.

I evaluate a team on the quality of arguments made, not on my personal beliefs, nor on issues I think a particular side should have covered.

I write notes throughout the debate, and will use these to assess the bearing of each argument on the truth or falsehood of the assigned resolution. Those debaters demonstrating logical reasoning, maturity of thought, civility and effectiveness of communication earn higher speaker points.

Debaters should use evidence, examples, and analogies for the purpose of illustration. Debaters should use quoted evidence to support their claims; well-chosen, relevant evidence strengthens – but will not replace – arguments.

Simply, the pro should convince me that the resolution should be adopted, and the con should prove that the resolution should be rejected. When deciding I ask, “If I had no prior beliefs about this resolution, would the round as a whole have made me more likely to believe the resolution was true or not true?”

Teams should strive to provide a straightforward perspective on the resolution; I will discount unfair, obscure interpretations that only serve to confuse the opposing team. Clear communication is important. I will weigh arguments to the extent that they are clearly explained, and discount arguments that are too fast, too muddled, or too full of debate jargon to be understood by an intelligent high school student or a well-informed citizen.

I will not penalize a team for failing to understand their opponent’s unclear arguments, but if you find yourself on the receiving end of one, demonstrate you can handle such a strategy with directness & grace. Debaters who use abusive arguments lose points with me. As a guide for what's abusive or not, if it's denying your opponent debating ground or making it impossible to win, it's likely abusive. (e.g., Think topic interpretation that gives an opponent no or little ground)

Speakers should appeal through sound reasoning, succinct organization, credible evidence, and clear delivery. I will use points to provide a mechanism for evaluating the relative quality of debating by each side. I will write constructive suggestions for improvement to the debaters on the ballot. Dishonesty (manufacturing, misrepresenting research sources, and or making claims (false or not) against your opponent regarding same, etc.) will be referred to the tournament directors to address/resolve.

This first part is just some background on my debating history, you can skip it if you want. I am a Senior at Hackley School in NY, and I have been doing PF debate for 4 years now. I have been moderately successful on the national circuit, qualifying for Silver TOC. I also do some coaching and judging for Mott Hall Bronx High School, where my mom is the head coach.

On to how I judge. If you didn't read above, I am a flow judge. First and foremost, don't misrepresent evidence! If I am judging you, there is a good chance I am also debating that resolution, in which case I will probably know your cards. In terms of unique arguments, K's are allowed in pf, as are generalized plans, so don't just respond by saying they are not allowed. For rebuttals, if your pre-prepared blocks don't match up with your opponents arguments, dont read them!  If you don't extend arguments in your summary AND final focus, I wont judge off of them (the exception is terminal defense). Please don't just extend ink in summary.  Don't be rude in cross, but I like clash. In the end, if you impact your standing arguments better than the other team, and weigh- tell me why those impacts matter more, I will vote for you.

FAQ:

Speed: Don't actually spread but, unless you have done policy/ld, you speaking fast is not spreading, and is fine.

Terminal Defense: You can extend directly to final focus from rebuttal.

NIBs: They are fine in case, or MAYBE in first rebuttal, but if they come later in the round they are just abusive, and I won't weigh them.

Humor: Go for it, it might improve your speaks, but don't insult the other team.                                                          

I have no background in high school or college debate, but I have been a practicing attorney for more than 35 years and have been judging PF debates for 8 years.

I am a great believer in the “citizen judge” roots of Public Forum. The debater’s job is to persuade the man on the street, with no background as to the resolution of the month, that pro or con should win. Thus, clarity and focus are paramount. Your job is to persuade, not confuse, me. Well-structured arguments and effectively utilized evidence are key, but so are articulation, modulation, and engagement. A glance up from your laptop from time to time can work wonders, as can staying in the Zoom frame in a well-lighted room.

I do flow arguments, but not in a very technical way. A dropped argument will only count against you if it is material to your overall presentation and not offset by more meritorious arguments that make it through Final Focus.

Spreading and the pointless acceleration of pacing it engenders are strongly discouraged. You should choose your arguments carefully and deliver them at a pace, and with an energy and focus, that are designed to persuade.

Use your evidence fairly and judiciously. Do not overstate its significance or twist its meaning beyond recognition. I will only ask to see your card if the outcome of a round turns on an evidentiary dispute, but, if it comes to this, you want to be confident that your card can be read as presented. Also, feel free to request your opponent's cards, but do so sparingly and only when necessary to dispute a material contention or buttress a key argument.

Unfortunately, only one team can win; that’s the way it is in real life and in every courtroom I have ever appeared, so try to roll with the punches.

Most importantly, have fun. Few things are as satisfying as a hard-fought win; or as motivating (for the next round) as a too-close-to-call loss.

I have been a coach for over 10 years , but my team is student-led and you can consider me lay. (This was written by my students to prevent judge screws-you can thank them later.) I appreciate a more personal form of debate when it comes to judging.

Lots of eye contact with the judge (even during crossfire) and always address me as “judge” and your opponents as “my opponent (s)“ during speeches. Stand for all speeches and crosses, except grand. I will be highly inclined to vote for the other side if you do not address your opponents contentions and extend and show the impacts of your own.

Do not waste time looking for your cards. Have your cards ready and make sure that the evidence being cited is easy for your opponents to find.

During interactions with your opponents, I will dock your speaks and drop you if you act like a bully. Please, have an appropriate amount of physical desk space between you and your opponent.

When speaking, I appreciate a clear emphasis on what is important. I’ll be timing you, but please keep time for yourself.