Darla Moore School of Business

Competition Rules

1. Competitors must be undergraduate students enrolled at the University of South Carolina for the 2026-2027 academic year.
2. Competitors are allotted 8-10 minutes to make their case. A five point penalty will be assigned for every 30 seconds over or under the allotted time. 
3. Competitors must present their speech during their prescribed 15-minute slot and are not permitted to infringe on the next competitor’s scheduled time.
4. Competitors are provided with a specific U.S. Constitution-related prompt in advance and must craft their speech around said prompt. Unrelated speeches will result in automatic disqualification.
5. Competitors must develop their arguments based on legal research and evidence, analyzing what is constitutionally allowed rather than just expressing personal, political opinions.
6. Competitors must orally cite their sources.
7. Competitors may not use generative AI to write their speech and should practice academic integrity in accordance with the Carolina Creed.
8. ​Media-use is permitted but not required. Media-use counts neither toward nor against a competitor's total score. Media is defined as any visual, auditory, digital, or physical element used to enhance, illustrate, or advance a constitutional argument (e.g. PowerPoint, props, audio, video, or visual aids).
9. Competitors using media are responsible for ensuring in advance that their technology is working properly and should be prepared to deliver their speech even if the technology fails. IT personnel will not be on hand.
10. Immediately before delivering their respective speeches, competitors must present the judge(s) with their valid USC ID.
11. Neither competitors nor audience members may approach the judges to discuss competitor scores or solicit feedback before, during, or after speaking rounds.​
12. In the instance of a tie, all tied competitors will face off in an additional round.

Competition Structure

The William K. and Marion Langfan Constitutional Oratorical Competition requires speakers to deliver an 8- to 10-minute, uninterrupted persuasive speech on a pre-assigned U.S. Constitutional topic to a panel of judges and spectators.

The tournament takes place over three rounds. Speakers in Rounds 1 and 2 will be divided into heats, and individual speeches will be scored based on criteria specified in the uniform rubric. Scores between Rounds 1 & 2 will be tallied, and the top 10 percent will advance to the final round. Individual speeches in the final round will be scored based on the same rubric criteria. The top four scores will place first, second, third, and forth respectively. All rounds are open to the public.

Judging Criteria

Competition Rubric

Speaking Prompt

Recently states have begun to redraw electoral maps to  favor one political party over another. Does doing so violate the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment?