CALIFORNIA – On Wednesday, Nov. 2, executive court officers (CEOs) from 54 of California’s 58 superior courts signed and presented to the public an open joint press release regarding a crisis in California. There is a crisis-level shortage of court reporters in California, according to the press release.
Of 58 superior courts in California, only 4 county court executive officers were not listed as approving the release: Amador County Superior Court CEO Hugh Swift; CEO Margaret Smith of the Calaveras County Superior Court; CEO Shelby Wineinger of the El Dorado County Superior Court; CEO Deborah Norrie of the Plumas County Superior Court. Imperial County Superior Court CEO Maria Rhinehart was listed as endorsing the press release.
According to the press release, in 2005 the California Judicial Council – the decision-making body of the California court system – warned that California courts had experienced a steady decline in the number of available stenographic reporters since the early 1990s. more,” the statement quotes the Judicial Council, “the reduction in California’s court reporting schools and programs in recent years complicates the courts’ ability to attract sufficient numbers of well-trained reporters.”
In addition to this, the release cites a 2013 study by the National Court Reporters Association which predicted that, by 2018, declining court reporter enrollment and graduation rates along with significant retirement rates would create a shortage of nearly 5,500 court reporting positions. The statement also cites the Chief Justice’s 2017 “Final Report of the Commission on the Future,” which indicated that court reporter registration and graduation rates were, at the time, declining at an annual rate. by 7.3%.
A March 29, 2018 letter from the Judicial Council to the Hon. Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher of the Presidency Assembly Appropriations Committee regarding AB 2354 projected that “the State would have … a gap of approximately 2,750 court reporters by 2023 if projected demand remains constant “. As the press release says, many California courts do not have enough court reporters to cover the current demand for mandatory criminal cases, let alone other non-compulsory cases. “More than 50% of California courts reported that they are unable to consistently cover non-compulsory case types, including civil law, family law and probate,” the press release reads. .
“Funding is not the solution,” the press release said. “There is no one to hire.”
According to court executive officers named in the document, the California Legislature is providing $30 million a year to California courts, specifically to hire additional court reporters with a focus on family law and courtrooms. civil. The problem is that there are no court reporters to hire. Court officers calculate that 71% of California’s 58 trial courts are actively recruiting court reporters.
The press release points out that the current statutes and legal framework limit potentially creative responses to the shortage. For example, California Code § 69957 prohibits courts from providing electronic recording in family law, civil matters, and estates courtrooms. The press release also points out that allowing a remote court reporter would provide existing resources to more people, while making the job “more attractive to potential young court reporters.”
“We are ready, able and willing to work with all stakeholders to find ways to ensure that all litigants who need a file have access to it,” the statement concluded.
This joint CEO statement follows legislation signed this year by California Governor Gavin Newsom that would allow “voice writers” to replace traditional stenographers. The National Verbatim Reporters Association explains that voicewriters are highly trained professionals who use a stenomask — a small, portable mask with microphones and voice-attenuation equipment — and verbatim rehearse the testimony given in the courtroom. . This technology can serve as either a recorded transcription later, or a real-time stream, or both.
The Los Angeles County Court Reporters Association states that the training time for a voice writer is one-third the training time for a traditional stenographer, which may help alleviate the shortage to some extent.