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COMMITTEE ON COURT REPORTING

Source: FINAL REPORT, Committee on Court Reporting (Stenographic & Electronic) (May 22, 1991)

RECOMMENDATIONS

No. 1

Each county should be equipped with a videotape courtroom to create the record. As official court reporters voluntarily leave state service, videotape should be extended to additional courts to make the record in matters that otherwise would have utilized an official court reporter. In addition to regular usage, where possible, the videotape equipment should also be used in proceedings involving child victim witnesses and witnesses communicating through sign language. For appeal purposes a hard copy transcript of the proceedings should always be required. The videotape equipment should be of a quality at least equivalent to the JAVS system. Upon request, counsel should be provided with duplicate video cassettes of the proceedings on a daily basis for a modest fee. [at p. vii; emphasis added]

No. 4

All Superior Court courtrooms should be equipped with sound recording equipment to be available as an alternative to court reporters with a requirement that it be used in all proceedings involving non-English speaking witnesses. Such equipment should include state-of-the-art microphones and speakers for playbacks in the courtroom. At the request of an attorney involved in a particular proceeding, a copy of the reformatted, duplicate audiotape should be made available at the courthouse the day of the proceeding even if a court reporter was responsible for making the official court record. The Committee further recommends that the Judiciary cease to employ substitute per diem reporters. [at p. viii; emphasis added]

STATUS OF THESE RECOMMENDATIONS

According to Jeffrey A. Newman, Chief of Technology Applications, Appellate Court Administration (telephone interview February 9, 1994), the Supreme Court has approved both of these recommendations. However, recommendation number one has not been implemented fully due to lack of resources and recommendation number four has been implemented.