What a case is
Your case is the prepared speech that opens your side of the round. It usually has an introduction, definitions (if needed), a framework or standard for judging (in Lincoln-Douglas a value and a criterion), and two or three main arguments called contentions.
Fewer, stronger arguments beat many weak ones. A judge remembers two well-built contentions better than six thin ones, and the other side has fewer easy targets.
Claim, warrant, evidence, impact
Every contention needs four parts. Leave one out and the argument wobbles.
| Part | It answers | Example (Resolved: Schools should start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.) |
|---|---|---|
| Claim | What are you saying? | Later start times improve students’ health. |
| Warrant | Why is it true? | Teenagers’ sleep cycles shift later in puberty, so an early start cuts into the sleep they need. |
| Evidence | How do we know? | The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m.; in 2011–12, about 82% of U.S. public middle and high schools started earlier than that (CDC). |
| Impact | Why does it matter? | Too little sleep is linked to poorer health, mood and safety, so a later start helps millions of students. |
Sources: [1]
Why the warrant matters most
Evidence without a warrant is a fact without a reason. If your evidence says later start times raise attendance, the judge still wants to know why. Maybe students who sleep more get sick less; maybe they’re less likely to oversleep. The warrant connects the evidence to the claim, and it’s what you’ll defend when the other side attacks.
A useful test: could someone who didn’t read your evidence still understand why your claim is likely true? If yes, you have a warrant.
Impacts
An impact answers “so what?” It names who is affected and how much. Strong impacts are specific (“about 15,000 students in our district”) and connect to what the judge cares about (health, safety, fairness, liberty, money). In Weighing you’ll compare your impacts with the other side’s.
A case outline
- Introduction (one or two sentences): a short story, quote or fact that frames the issue.
- Resolution and definitions: read the resolution; define any words that need it.
- Framework: how the judge should decide (for example, “the side that better protects student health wins”). In Lincoln-Douglas, a value and a criterion.
- Contention 1: claim, warrant, evidence, impact.
- Contention 2: claim, warrant, evidence, impact.
- Conclusion: one sentence tying the contentions to the framework.
Signposting
Signposting means telling the judge where you are: “I have two contentions. Contention one: health.” In rebuttals: “On their first contention, about cost, I have three answers.” Judges write down arguments as you go (see Flowing), and signposts tell them where to write.
Give each contention a short tagline the judge can write in five words, then explain it.
Tagline Contention one: later start times protect student health.
Warrant During puberty, teenagers’ sleep cycles shift later, so most can’t fall asleep early. A 7:30 start means many of them are short on sleep every school day.
Evidence The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., and the CDC reports that about four in five U.S. public middle and high schools started earlier than that in 2011–12.
Impact Enough sleep supports health, mood and safety. That’s why this contention alone is a reason to vote affirmative.
Write both sides
In most formats you’ll debate both sides of the same resolution during a tournament. Write a case for each, and write the best case against each one, too. The arguments in Debates with Both Sides give you starting points, and the case builder helps you lay it out.
Practice
- Pick a beginner topic and write one contention with all four parts. Highlight the warrant.
- Take a contention from a topic page and rewrite it with a sharper tagline and a more specific impact.
- Give your case out loud to a timer. Is it under the time limit with room to breathe?
Sources
- School Start Times for Middle School and High School Students — United States, 2011–12 School Year (MMWR 64(30)), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015-08-07). Accessed 2026-10-25.
Updated 2026-10-25.