Fill in the blanks:
The judge’s decision was based on _______ evidence and not mere _______.

Empirical means based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic, which fits well with evidence.Speculation refers to guesswork or assumptions, contrasting with evidence-based decisions.Fabricated, assumption – "Fabricated" means falsified, which is not suitable in this context.Conjectural, reality – "Conjectural" refers to uncertain theories, which doesn't fit well with "reality."Biased, hypothesis – "Biased" means unfairly prejudiced, which does not logically fit with "evidence."Thus, the best choice is: (1) empirical, speculation.