Prima facie

Prima facie is a theory concept that requires the Affirmative team to present a complete case from the start of the debate round. In other words, the initial set of arguments they present must be sufficient to persuade an ordinary person, absent any countering arguments from the Negative.

The phrase "prima facie" is a Latin term meaning "on the first face." Pronunciation of "prima facie" varies widely; in legal circles, it is commonly pronounced PREE-muh FAY-shuh; the pronunciation PRY-muh FAY-shee is also heard. In classical Latin, it would be pronounced something like PREE-mah FACK-ee-ay. In ecclesiastical Latin, it would be pronounced something like PREE-mah FAH-chee-ay.

Theory and controversy
Prima facie is fundamentally based in the logic of proof: if the Affirmative does not present a complete argument, there is no reason to vote for them, even if the Negative's arguments don't stand up. More broadly, most debaters agree that debate functions better when the Affirmative presents a complete case in the 1AC, instead of holding back until the 2AC (or later) to present a complete argument.

Prima facie is commonly understood to require a complete case by the end of the 1AC. Historically, however, prima facie was only understood to require a complete case by the end of the constructives. Indeed, for some decades it was common to put the plan in the 2AC.