Question: Am I a bad judge?
Answer: Maybe? Probably. I'm either dumb or just slow.

Disclaimer: I have not judged since 2021. Go easy on me

Experience: I debated policy three years for Neenah High School (WI) and have been judging/coaching since 2016. I was an ok (subpar) debater with some nationals experience, but I was double 1s so evaluate that however you want. Most of my judging these days is LD but don't expect me to be an expert on the topic. I have judged maybe once this season.

Paradigm: Tabs. I'm good with speed, if I can't understand you I guess I'll say something. I will vote for anything well run in a debate round. I am pretty good at following K proper flows. I can have a hard time with heavy theory debates. That being said, feel free to run whatever you are comfortable with.

In Round stuff: I really really really would prefer you to time your own speeches/prep/cross. I am very disorganized and absent-minded so I will probably forget to write down the prep usage or start speech times late if at all. Its also just good practice to be mindful of time in a round.

If its allowed at the tournament put me on the email chain.

Special Notes: You are responsible for the language that you use in the debate round; racist, sexist, queerphobic, ableist, or any other discriminatory speech will not be tolerated.

-Anything Else-

Feel free to ask me before a round. Chances are you know more than I do, I generally think I know what I'm talking about but I probably don't.

My email is isaacdorn@gmail.com

Email me if you have any questions about your ballot or my paradigm, I'm happy to reply!

-More Detail-

-Affirmatives-

Policy affs with a plantext: Go for it.

Plantext affs with K impacts: Go for it

Non Traditional Affs (advocacy, narratives, performance, kritikal, etc.): Go for it, but make sure to clearly extend case. Also I need a clear ROB so that I know what I'm voting for at the end of the round.

-Negatives-

DAs: Go for it.

CPs (Consult, Process, Agent, etc.): Go for it, make sure there is a clear net benefit. I tend to grant affs a bit more leeway when it comes to solvency as long as there isn't a competitive fiat debate. I also appreciate good explanations of the perm on both sides (i.e. whether there is functional severance, redundancy, works/doesn't work etc.). Some caveats; I have a history of defaulting affirmative on counterplans that I am unclear on or if the permutation debate seemed muddled to me (I am, however, beginning to shift my mindset on this towards tech>truth)

Ks (any kind): Go for it. Love em'. Like I said, I can keep up with K proper flows. Make sure your alt and link are clearly explained. While I like kritiks, I prefer for them to be educational rather than strategically ambiguous. Although I'm comfortable with my literature base, I will not do the conceptual work for you. You must adequately explain the content of your kritik.

T - Let me preface this by saying I have never voted on T. That being said, there are a few things you need to do to win a T debate in front of me. 1) Clear and present standards AND voters 2) In round abuse (which could be strategically planned) or a compelling reason for me to vote on potential abuse 3) Commitment in the 2NR, the argument is theoretically that you can't engage with a non-topical aff, if you spend half the 2NR with offense on the aff that makes your argument less compelling. IMO Topicality is a tool to keep affirmatives in check, I am much more Truth>Tech on the T flow.

-Theory-

Most of my squirreling on panels is usually because my understanding of theory. I didn't really get it as a debater, so most of my knowledge comes from my experience as a judge/coach/just thinking about it. I think my biggest problem with theory is that it is often presented as a series of quick one-liners that don't have a ton of substance. Seeing that I've never been great at flowing my preference is depth over breadth on theory.

(Update) I will not retract my previous statement, however I have developed my thought process some more. When you are engaged in a theory debate in front of me, make sure you have two things. 1) A sufficient claim that you meet your interpretation of debate better than your opponent. 2) Comparative offense calculus so that I as a judge understand why I should care about your interpretation of debate.

I will for sure vote for theory arguments in a debate, if I can understand them.

IN LD:

The WDCA requires that I add the following to my paradigm

Apply all of the above and...

Framework: Framework is an important aspect of your case and should not be neglected. Don't ignore offense on your FW.

V/VC: I don't need to see a Value/Value criterion in your case in order for me to vote for you. But you are responsible for making a cohesive argument as to why it is important for you to ignore this structure.

Plantexts: Go for it. I come from policy so honestly I would prefer a plantext.

CP: I think a CP is a fundamental part of your offensive toolkit on the negative and you should take advantage of this as much as you can.

Kritik: Kritiks are great. Don't expect me to do the legwork for you though, see above for specifics. Extend your evidence.

What I vote for in LD: Generally I will be voting for the team which understands their case more. Refer to my paradigm for what I like to see in a round.

I debated policy in Texas in the late 1990s, and then I debated at Northwestern. I have a PhD in rhetoric and argumentation, and I teach at UWM in the Communication Department. I have been judging debate in WI since 2018, and I started coaching in 2020.

I can flow at most speeds as long as you are clear, but I appreciate it when debaters slow down and explain and weigh arguments. I'm open to all well made arguments. Please remember that a tag/claim is not a full argument. I appreciate clash and strong argument development. I follow the debaters' lead for reasons for voting, but saying that "I outweigh" (for example) is not an argument-- you need to explain why you outweigh and why that matters. For PF especially, please remember that the affirmative has the burden of proof.

Update for 9/21: Please slow down for virtual debate.

updates 1/21:

I don't think that true objectivity is possible, so I won't claim to be tabula rasa. However, I do my best to remain open to arguments and set aside my biases. I am not open to hearing racist, sexist, homophobic, etc arguments. I am also a professional rhetorician, so you will have a challenging time persuading me that discourse doesn’t matter (although the relationships between the material and discursive is up for debate). I’m fine with kritiks, plans, counterplans, framework debates, util impacts debates. I don’t see the logic in how the neg can run a counterplan unless the aff has run a plan, but I’ll listen to the arguments justifying. I’m not strong in classical philosophy, so slow down and explain those arguments. I teach and publish engaging critical theory, so I am stronger in those arguments. If it’s helpful to see my list of publications and classes that I’ve taught, my faculty webpage is somewhat up to date (but I’m really doubt that would be helpful).

I judge based on my flow, and I tend to have a good flow. If you tell me that an argument is a reason for voting, I mark that on my flow and spend time thinking about that in my decision. If you don’t give me a reason for voting, I’ll do my best to sort through the arguments and make a decision. I adore when debaters number their arguments and keep their arguments organized. I will always priorities flowing the tag and key arguments in the card before the author’s name. So if you are extending evidence, it’s a good rule of thumb to give the author’s name and a shortened tag (instead of saying “extend Jones ’20,” say “extend Jones ’20, the impact is global warming,” or if you have been numbering, “extend number 3, Jones ’20).

Speed: I'm fine with speed, and for most debaters, I have had no problem flowing. I’ve been getting some audio glitches in virtual debate. As long as we are virtual, please keep those tags super clear. I've also noticed that as I get tired, I start missing some arguments when debaters are going fast in rebuttals. I'll do my best to keep up, and I don't penalize debaters for going fast. If you want to make sure I don't miss something important, emphasize it clearly.

Bottom line: tell me why you win and how I should make my decision. Please don't let me try to figure out how to weigh competing arguments because that's when debaters start finding me to be unpredictable. Make your case for how I should weigh those arguments.

I am a very simple judge. I prefer stats and logic over something that you know off the top of your head. I also do not understand speed all that well, I'm trying my best with it but I've had trouble understanding it since my debate years. PLEASE HAVE ALL OF THE EVIDENCE FOR EVERYTHING YOU ARE GOING TO READ. I will not stress that enough. Little to no evidence will cost you an entire round with me as your judge.I love when competitors clash especially during CX (trust I did it during debates a lot), so just generally clash but don't be rude about it. I will listen to outrageous (out of the box cases) and I find them fun. So if you are willing to do it and take the risk, go for it! Sexism, racism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, and any other negative -phobias or -isms will absolutely not be tolerated. You'll get the lowest speaks I can give and I'll find a reason to drop you. Debate is meant to be inclusive, not hurtful. I'll give you pretty high speaks unless you're rude or offensive.