The Court Reporting Process Explained

Court reporters serve a very specific and important purpose in the court of law and other settings. What you might imagine you know about court reporting may be very different from what actually happens. Learning about the court reporting process can help you understand how important these individuals are.

Everything To Know About Court Reporting

Court reporters are also referred to as guardians of the record; pretty cool, right? These individuals capture the spoken word and proceedings that happen in the court, speeches, trials and more and transcribe them to written words so that they can be referred to later. This process is tedious, very time-consuming, and can change the entire course of a trial if it is not done properly.

Court reporters also help to search for things that may be kept in the record. They also assist judges and attorneys and help with meetings, press conferences, seminars and so much more. Most use some sort of aid to help them transcribe what is going on in the courtroom. Stenographers use a special stenography machine that has combinations of letters and letter groups to help make full words when they press them together. This is a very quick process, and after the court has adjourned, they go back and check their work for accuracy.

There is also electronic reporting where the proceedings are recorded and transcribed later when the tape is played back. There is also voice writing in which voice recognition software is used to help transcribe. Most courts require that a court reporter have a certificate or a degree in the area so that they can then work in the field.

Court Reporting Process

The process starts with the court being called or with pretrial and even grand jury proceedings in some cases. The court reporter is going to be present for every proceeding that needs to be recorded. Most will take down the proceeding in real time so that they can get all the information needed. They will then go back and check the work that they have done to ensure that it is accurate and that there are no notable errors that need to be corrected.

Next, the record will be entered and in some cases made public. This essential job helps to make court proceedings transparent so that no one can claim that they were treated unfairly or were not given a fair trial.  

Categorised in: Court Reporting

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