Practice resolution bank
Two banks. Past NSDA resolutions, for writing full cases on topics with real evidence behind them. And CUDL practice resolutions, for scrimmages where nobody has a prewritten case and the round tests thinking rather than files.
The tool
Past NSDA resolutions
Verified against the NSDA topics page and topic coverage as of September 13, 2026. The season tracker lists current topics.
| Format | Period | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln-Douglas | 2026 National Tournament | Resolved: Democracies ought to prioritize the protection of civil liberties over national security. |
| Public Forum | 2026 National Tournament | Resolved: The United States is justified in using force to remove authoritarian leaders from power. |
| Lincoln-Douglas | January/February 2026 | Resolved: On balance, the United States Federal Government ought to prioritize domestic considerations over international considerations in 2026. |
| Public Forum | November/December 2025 | Resolved: Property taxes should be prohibited in the United States. |
| Policy | 2025-26 season | Resolved: The United States federal government should significantly increase its exploration and/or development of the Arctic. |
| Big Questions | 2025-26 season | Resolved: Moral systems rooted in theism are preferable to non-theistic moral systems. |
CUDL practice resolutions
Written by CUDL for practice only. They are not NSDA topics and will not appear at a tournament.
| Style | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Lincoln-Douglas style | Resolved: Public schools ought to prioritize civic education over career preparation. |
| Lincoln-Douglas style | Resolved: Individuals have a moral obligation to reduce their personal carbon footprint. |
| Lincoln-Douglas style | Resolved: A just government ought to guarantee a right to internet access. |
| Public Forum style | Resolved: The United States federal government should ban targeted advertising to minors. |
| Public Forum style | Resolved: North Carolina should adopt a four-day school week. |
| Public Forum style | Resolved: The United States should eliminate the penny. |
| Public Forum style | Resolved: Charlotte should expand light rail rather than widen highways. |
| Policy style | Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase funding for public transit in mid-sized cities. |
| Big Questions style | Resolved: Humans are more cooperative than competitive by nature. |
The one-hour scrimmage
Announce a practice resolution, give both sides twenty minutes with no internet to build a case from reasoning and examples, then run a full round on the speech timer. It is the fastest way to teach argument structure without the crutch of evidence files.
Case-writing practice
Pick a past NSDA resolution and write a full case using the Lincoln-Douglas case template or the Public Forum outline. Real evidence exists for every one of these topics.