Realtime Court Reporting

In September of 1994, the Judicial Conference endorsed the use of realtime reporting technologies by official court reporters. In June of 1996, the Judicial Conference established a new category of "realtime unedited transcript." The Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures defines realtime as the instantaneous translation and display of live proceedings utilizing computer-aided transcription.

The realtime rough draft or any portion thereof is not the official transcript and may not be filed for any reason. The Guide clearly indicates that the unedited draft is not intended to be used in subsequent proceedings for impeachment or for any other purpose, including further distribution.

In order to provide realtime service, the ordering attorney/party must:

  • Coordinate and pretest equipment with SDR technicians in advance of trial.
  • Purchase realtime at the rate of $3.05 per page.
  • Provide to the reporter, in advance, a list of names and terms unique to the case so that the realtime draft may be as readable as possible.