Judge Philosophies
Aaron Cluiss - DBU
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Abby Reeves - MSU
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Adam Torres - DBU
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Adi Gould - ATU
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Adrian Alvarado - LEE
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Advita Shinde - LEE
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Alaina Reeves - ATU
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Alex Gainer - UU
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Alex Gibson - LTU
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Alexis Farino - DBU
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Anamica Khadgi - MSU
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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.
Anthony Cotton - ORU
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Arianna Tello - LEE
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Armani Welch - ORU
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Aryanna Highfill - UU
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Ashlee Dureka - Park
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Avery Mullins - ATU
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Braeden Helmick - UU
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Brennan Schiltz - DBU
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Brett Jarboe - DBU
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Caroline Moore - UCA
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Claire Green - MSU
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Colten Nichols (He/Him) - UARK
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Connor Benkel - DBU
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Daisy Murfey - UU
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Dallas Minnie - ATU
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Dice Ferguson (they/them) - UCA
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Dustin Olson - ATU
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Dustin Gavins - MSU
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Eli Brown - MSU
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Elijah Hawk - Harding
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Elizabeth Orton - MSU
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Emma Carter - LTU
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Emma Jaramillo - MSU
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Esther Rolsma - UU
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Evan Thomas - UCA
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Ezekiel Shannonhouse - ORU
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Gabrielle Wright - UCA
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Giovanni Garcia - LEE
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Hawk Barnes - UARK
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Hunter Dedmon - ATU
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Izzy Mejia-Aveledo - UU
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Izzy Swafford - UARK
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Ja'i Dantzler - UCA
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Jace Godfrey (He/Him) - UARK
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Jaci Sabatini (They/Them) - UARK
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Jack Van Dyke (He/They) - UARK
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Jackson Csoma - BPCC
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Jacob Rose - MSU
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Jacob Causey - ATU
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Jake Leckrone - UU
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James Wood - DBU
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Jewel Thomas - LSUS
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Jodee Doxey - LSUS
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Justin Jetton - BPCC
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Kaitlyn Durrett - ATU
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Kajsa Dunn - ORU
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Kameron Jackson - ATU
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Kamryn Mullin - ATU
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Kate Rutherford - UU
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Kate Rooney - DBU
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Katelyn Ah Puck - DBU
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Khaled Algahim - LSUS
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Kimberly Truong - LEE
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Layla Ned - DBU
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Le'Jeaha Falany - MSU
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Levi Cook - DBU
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Levi Grubbs - LSUS
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Lindsey Brown - BPCC
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Liz Roa - UCA
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Lora Cohn - Park
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Luke Thurmon (He/Him) - UARK
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Lydia Stinnett - UU
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Lyric Newkirk - DBU
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Mack Miles (They/Them) - LSUS
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Madeline McClatchey - LSUS
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Madison Hall - LEE
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Makailynn Byrd - ATU
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Matthew Freeman - UAMONT
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Matthew Cook (He/Him) - UARK
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McKenzie Parish - ATU
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Micah Bolden - LSUS
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Molly Brown - ORU
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Molly Watson (She/Her) - UARK
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Muizat Ayoola-Abioye - LTU
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Myca Marotti - UAMONT
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Nayeli Yepre - ATU
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Nicolas Neal - MSU
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Noah Hensley - DBU
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Olivia Shaw - UU
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Owen Iddings (he/him) - UAMONT
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Parker Bryd - ATU
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Pennelope Wilson - UCA
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Percy Blaich - UARK
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Rebecca Myers - UCA
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Rhea Neugebauer (She/They) - UARK
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Riley Haller - LSUS
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Ruben Capetillo - LEE
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Skylar Rizzi-Caylor - ATU
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Stephanie Littlefield - ATU
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TJ Jones - BPCC
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Thomas Thurner - MSU
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Tillman Austin - ATU
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Willow Passmore - ATU
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Wyatt Lester - UARK
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Zachary Knowles - Park
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Zara Smith - ATU
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