Judge Philosophies
A.J. Green - BPCC
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AJ Edwards (He/Him) - LSUS
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Abbi Arbuckle (she/her) - ACU
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Adam Dansby - BPCC
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Adam Naiser - LEE
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Adrian Alvarado - LEE
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Alex Vanoy - Jeff State
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Alexis Farino - DBU
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Anna Schmitt - DBU
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Anna-Rachel Krebs - WmCarey
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Annah Samdi - ACU
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Anthony McMullen (he/him) - UCA
Experience: Competed for the University of Arkansas (2000-05); Coach at the University of Central Arkansas (2007-present). Most of that experience is in IPDA. While I appreciate and am happy to participate in other forms of debate, I'm an IPDA purist at heart and that governs my philosophy. I'm also a licensed attorney and spent seven years working for the Arkansas Court of Appeals. My job involved reading arguments with real world consequences. As such, while I am willing to vote for any well-reasoned argument, I'm a policymaker judge more than anything.
Delivery: I'm not a fan of speed. If I am judging a form of debate where that is the norm, I'll accept the burden of listen to rapid-fire delivery. Otherwise, don't do it. I often listen to podcasts at 1.5x speed. That's fine. Because it is a debate, I can probably listen to you at 2x speed and be fine. Anything faster, and you risk losing me. I find spreading unethical. Don't do it.
Speaker Points: Pretty arbitrary, especially if the ballot does not contain a rubric. If it is an IPDA round, I will have traditional criteria in mind: delivery, courtesy, organization, tone, logic, support, CX, refutation. In each category, you start with a 3 in each category. An average debater will receive a 4, a good debater will receive a 5. I won't go less than 3 in a category unless you "earn" it. Low point wins are a thing.
Case: The affirmative has the burden of proof, and the negative has the burden of clash. Failing to meet those burdens is an automatic L before we reach the rebuttals.
As a policymaker judge, I would prefer to give a win or loss based on the merits/demerits of the resolution itself, especially if it is form of debate where you get to choose the topic. I'll vote on topicality, but if it is close, I'll give the affirmative the benefit of the doubt. (If you are going to run T, I'm big on framer's intent.) I'm willing to vote on a K, but again, I would rather vote on the merits of the resolution itself. Like topicality, the affirmative will get the benefit of the doubt if it is close.
I flow the round. By the time we get to rebuttals, tell me why you won. Put out any fires created by your opponent's previous speech if necessary, but please don't go line by line. I'm very big on impact calculus, especially if the criterion is cost-benefit analysis, comparative advantage, or something similar.
Evidence: First, quality over quantity. Better evidence will always beat more evidence. Explain why your evidence supports your case. I do not enjoy rounds where debaters dump numbers and stats without context. Second, source presses are a waste of time unless (1) your opponent makes a spurious claim or (2) you have evidence that contradicts your opponents. If the only argument you have against an argument is that no source was provided, you will lose that argument unless you tell me why the lack of source is important.
Topic Disclosure: I'm not a fan of it, but I recognize that I'm in the minority. If the resolution is fairly straightforward and affirmative's interpretation is in line, I will not entertain an argument that the debate was unfair due to a lack of disclosure. If the resolution is metaphorical or otherwise vague, you should probably disclose.
While I will not punish a debate who does not disclose, I will DQ a debater who gives a false or misleading disclosure. At the same time, I believe that the affirmative is entitled to use the prep time as they see fit. If you plan takes you in a different direction, you are entitled to change your mind (especially if the negative pressed you for disclosure before you started prepping your case). But be reasonable. Doing so with twenty minutes of prep left is okay. Doing so with ten minutes left isn't.
NPDA debaters: I miss points of information. Please use them.
BPC #1 - BPCC
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BPC #2 - BPCC
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BPC #3 - BPCC
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BPC #4 - BPCC
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Becky Turbeville - BPCC
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Brandon Davis - Harding
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Braydan Lafleur - LTU
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Cameron Thoele - LSUS
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Candi Gibson - LTU
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Caris Gray - LEE
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Cecilia Frett - BPCC
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Chuck Rogers - MSU
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Claire Carter - MSU
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Cole Franklin - BPCC
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Colleen Kilgore - UAMONT
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Cooper Johnson - LSUS
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Cynthia Butler - BPCC
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David Anzola - MSU
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Dayhath Marte-Herrera - WmCarey
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Dayton Thomas - DBU
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Dee Geneti - Whitworth
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Diana Weilbacher - ACU
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Diego Moreno - LEE
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Elias Perry - LEE
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Elise Scudmore (they/them) - USM
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Elizabeth Friedman - DBU
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Emily Dowd (they/them) - LSUS
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Genesis Ayala - DBU
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Gracyn McGathy - ACU
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Grayson Harris - UU
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Ileana Mocciola - ACU
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Izzy Melton - LAC
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Jaci Palmer - ATU
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Jack McDonnell - UU
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Jackie Garcia-Torres - ACU
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Jacob Little - UU
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Jacob Rose - MSU
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Jacob Phillips - MSU
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Jaina Bauer - ATU
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Jamie Adams - BPCC
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Jane Anne Carroll - ACU
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Jasmine Brossett - NSU
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Jennifer Lofton - BPCC
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Jennifer Igo - BPCC
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Jessica Cobbs - BPCC
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Jordan Rainbolt - BPCC
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Joseph Brownlee - BPCC
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Josiah Reed - LAC
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Jovanni Arellano - LEE
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Joy Smith - BPCC
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Kaitlynn Sweeney - LTU
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Karen Guerin - BPCC
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Karen Johnson - BPCC
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Kate Rooney - DBU
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Kelsey Davis - Harding
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Kimberly Truong - LEE
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Kirk Fontenot - BPCC
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Kylie Bennett - LAC
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Lakeisha Hamilton - BPCC
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Lana Fairchild - LAC
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Laney Aguilar - ACU
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Leslie Alexander - BPCC
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Lewis Waniewski - ATU
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Lori Steele - WmCarey
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Mack Miles (They/Them) - LSUS
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Maddie Farley - UU
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Madison Hall - LEE
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Madison Kitner - DBU
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Mariah Parker - DBU
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Meeyah Davis - ACU
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Megan Smith* - LTU
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Melanie Lea - BPCC
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Mia Robertson - MSU
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Micah McGee - UU
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Michael Isaac - UCA
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Myca Marotti - UACCB
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Nathan Mustapha - LEE
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Nathaniel Manning - BPCC
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Nathaniel Nuulimba - UU
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Nic Hreckco - Independent
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Nyla Jones - MSU
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Olivia Cheatham - LTU
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Pablo Cordova - Harding
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Phillip Parker - NSU
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Preston Langley - BPCC
This is a test
Rachel Basco - BPCC
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Ray Eaton - UU
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Reed Wilson - Harding
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Riia Yazepova - Whitworth
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Riley Haller - LSUS
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Rufina Gonzalez - LEE
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Rylee Walter - Whitworth
I don't like moths.
Sahori Hernandez-Quinones (she/her) - ACU
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Sarah Edgren - UU
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Sarah Pollock - ATU
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Shanisha Ford (She/Her) - LSUS
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Shanna Huffine - UACCB
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Shayne Coffey - UACCB
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Shimi Yandell - UU
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Shonda Miles - BPCC
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Stephanie Newberry - ACU
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Steven Turner - BPCC
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Talaysia Wright - ATU
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Tamil Kayode-Adele - ACU
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Teldrick Cooper - NSU
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Theresa Nettles - BPCC
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Tianna Andrews - BPCC
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Timothy Osteen - BPCC
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Tommy James (He/Him) - LSUS
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Travis Wright - WmCarey
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Trey Gibson - LTU
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Tucker Wilson - Whitworth
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Ty Weatherby - UU
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Vanessa Jones - LEE
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Wes Hinze - BPCC
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Will Vogelsang - ACU
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Yolanda Cooper - BPCC
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Zo Leatherwood - UU
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