COURTREPORTINGINSIDER

ST. THOMAS- The Office of Sen. Janelle Sarauw and the Legislature of the Virgin Islands Division of Reporters collaborated to host the 2nd Annual Stenographer’s Day held at the Capitol Building on Friday. The event showcases the tasks, duties and career opportunities of stenographers to a group of high school students. “The purpose of today is to expose the youths to the profession of stenography as they begin to explore career possibilities,” said Sen. Janelle Sarauw. “Young

The former owner of the Stenotype Institute of Jacksonville, Gloria Wiley, was sentenced last week to one year and one day in federal prison for failing to refund federal student aid money, commonly referred to as Stafford Loans and Pell Grants. Wiley pleaded guilty Nov.13. The court also ordered Wiley to pay nearly $289,000 in restitution to former students of Stenotype Institute, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to the

At 6pm on Super Bowl Sunday, viewers across the country will settle onto their couches surrounded by chips and buffalo wings to watch Super Bowl LIII. Here at WGBH, Janet Mahoney will settle into her office chair to provide a vital service: real-time closed captioning so that the 37 million people who are hearing-impaired can also enjoy the game. Through WGBH’s Media Access Group (MAG), Mahoney and a fellow stenographer in Western Massachusetts will “live-write” the full broa

Two Queens court reporting students at Plaza College were among the fastest transcribers during a recent speed competition. As a part of their Court Reporting & Captioning week, Plaza College hosted the 2019 National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) Student Speed Contest on Feb. 13. During the competition, over 100 students that are training to be court stenographers showcased their court reporting skills by rapidly and accurately transcribing dictation. In order to win, pa

A court stenographer from Montgomery County is getting her 15 minutes of fame as she was a featured extra in a limited series now airing on Showtime. Emilie Posnan has been a court reporter for more than decade, so when her actress friend sent her a casting call for a stenographer for a limited TV series called "Escape at Dannemora," she took a shot. “The director wanted to meet me the next day, Ben Stiller," Posnan said, "so I went up and it was between me and six other sten

After working as a court reporter in Marion County since 1973, Mary Dunaway finally got to retire in 2006, but in the 12 years since, she has been busier than ever before. Dunaway, a Clarksburg native, said she entered the realm of the courtroom soon after graduating from Victory High School. While working at an attorney’s office (making $150 a month), she got her first taste of the career field she soon would enter. “Every so often, the attorneys would come in with this woma

Administrative Director of the Idaho Supreme Court Sara Thomas confirms there is a massive shortage of court reporters statewide. In southeast Idaho, this issue continues to make challenges in the courtroom; however, those at the top are pushing for changes to get more qualified applicants to fill these positions. Courtroom reporters provide critical court transcripts that otherwise would result in a denial of due process. Each judge expected to have a court reporter assigned

The decision took a July state Supreme Court ruling that found poor litigants must be provided court reporters and took that logic a step further: It found that in cases where a court reporter had been denied, those cases could now be overturned on those grounds alone, reports VOSD contributor Lyle Moran. One attorney told Moran that could mean re-litigating potentially thousands of cases, but the San Diego Superior Court couldn’t provide data on how many poor litigants were

Fresno County court staffers were welcomed back to work Wednesday with a lunchtime taco truck, courtesy of the City Council. "Some of the council members are sponsoring a lunch for the county workers just as an appreciation. To show them we are watching and we have their support and are grateful to celebrate a victory," said Councilmember Esmeralda Soria. Court reporters and other support staff at the Fresno County Superior Court reached an agreement on a new labor contract T

Doreen Streblow will retire Friday after working 38 years as a court reporter for three judges in three different Dodge County courthouses. “I hope to spend more time in the winter in front of my wood stove watching the wild birds at our feeders,” Streblow said. “Maybe in the summer, I will be able to find some time to fish for northerns with my husband around the Horicon Marsh.”Streblow is ending her career in the courtroom of Dodge County Circuit Court Judge Steven Bauer.

Do you sometimes watch movies or television programs and wonder what was just said? Have you ever sat in a university lecture hall and wondered what the professor just said that was so important it might be on an exam? Maybe you’ve been in a conference and not understood the foreign language used around the table. Do you know someone who is hearing-impaired, who is missing out on the joys of hearing conversations and music lyrics? Perhaps CART — communication access real-time

The Permian Basin needs more court reporters to keep up with the work load from attorneys and courts, and for the future of the field, according to several experts. A court reporter’s job entails transcribing depositions or court proceedings, among other things. Breck Record taps away at his stenography machine, like he’s done for the past 34 years. Record is an official court reporter for the 143rd District Court in Monahans, Pecos and Mentone. “It’s a great profession, ever

In an age where a college education can mean nearly insurmountable debt and the job market is mediocre at best, court reporting is one career choice that is both affordable and in demand. A precise, accurate record of legal proceedings is a vital part of the justice system so there will always be a need for court reporters to ensure those records exist. The Shortage Projections indicate that the shortage represents nearly 5,500 qualified reporters. But why would such a lucrat

When Mae Fisher begins methodically tapping the keys of her “writer,” you might expect to hear music. But instead of a melody, a full phrase appears on her laptop: “Let the record reflect.” Fisher continues typing, demonstrating how her stenographic court reporting machine works by creating a real-time record of the mock-legalese recited by Jill Percy, director of court reporting for Orange Legal on East Colonial Drive. Fisher entered the industry in 2008 after seeing a comme

The court reporters and other support staff at the Fresno County Superior Court have agreed to a labor contract with the court, ending a strike that began last week. The Service Employees International Union Local 521, which represents about 275 court employees, announced the resolution Tuesday afternoon. SEIU spokeswoman Elsa Mejia said the new contract will restore a 40-hour work week for court reporters and protect staff from “unjust” cost increases to their health care be

Court reporters play a significant role in the court by providing an accurate record of what occurred during a case, but why is court reporting crucial to the judicial process? Trial courts have a tendency to approve “settled statements”, or detailed narrative summaries, of proceedings in place of real-time court reporting. Settled statements are often a time-consuming and costly process full of each party objecting to the other’s version of events. As a result, trial courts

Court reporters and interpreters, always in high demand, could be in more courthouses if they could appear remotely via video. All Iowans would benefit from development of a customer service portal. “Online dispute resolution has started in a few states with promising early results,” Cady said. “The state of Utah established an online dispute resolution pilot project for small claims cases that substantially reduced the steps needed to resolve a case. It has streamlined the p

As a seventh-grader, Pam Griffin was stumped for a subject when assigned to do a career report for class. In response, her mother emerged with a court-reporting machine. Pam’s mother dreamed of being a court reporter and went to school to prepare for that career. She worked for former Arizona Gov. Ernest McFarland and reported at an industry trade show every year, but left the workforce to dedicate more time to care for her six children. “She showed me her schoolbooks and bri

The Fourth District Court of Appeals in California ruled Tuesday that a California Supreme Court ruling overturning cases where a court reporter was not provided “applies retroactively to all cases” that are “not yet final on appeal. ”The previous California Supreme Court ruling held that “an official court reporter, or other valid means to create an official verbatim record for purposes of appeal, must generally be made available to in forma pauperis litigants upon request.”

Court reporters take down the official record of legal proceedings. Without enough of them some fear there will be major issues. It may be easy to overlook, but there is a crucial part of the legal system that is facing shortages across the country right now. Court reporters, the people that type down everything said in court for the official record. Right now, nationwide there is a court reporter shortage of about 5,000 people. In Idaho, that problem is starting to show as