Since CTCTR last reported, California’s stenographer shortage continues to strain county court systems, putting the timely and accurate capture of the record—the bedrock of judicial integrity—at significant risk. As courts struggle to address this crisis, stopgap measures are becoming increasingly common.
The Superior Court of Los Angeles was among the first to implement such measures, driven by a steady decline in the number of court-employed stenographers. Since 2018, the Court has undertaken multiple recruitment and retention campaigns, but the result has been a net loss of 117 court reporters, including 11 in the past year alone. On Nov. 22, LA County’s courts relaunched this recruitment effort despite those previous failed attempts.
Declaring the shortage a “constitutional crisis, the LA Superior Court also issued a General Order in September 2024 allowing the use of unmanned electronic recording for certain civil proceedings when a stenographer is unavailable. This significant step acknowledges the dire circumstances but also reflects a lack of perceived solutions.
Similarly, in mid-November, Santa Clara County Superior Court issued a general order to allow unmanned electronic reporting in certain proceedings, citing a drastic reduction in its stenographic workforce. In 2011, Santa Clara employed 70 full-time court reporters; today, only 28.1 full-time equivalents remain – a stark decline that mirrors the state (and nationwide) trend.
Digital Reporting: A Modern Extension of Court Reporting Expertise
The persistent publication of false and misleading information regarding the risk of digital reporting by national, state, and local stenographic court reporting associations while also refusing to acknowledge the stenographic shortage inhibits the potential of digital reporting to bridge the gap.
And unmanned recording solutions, while a laudable pivot from unsuccessful recruiting efforts, do not go far enough to address the underlying issue and potentially risk the integrity of the record. Instead of replacing the human element of court reporting, digital reporting expands the labor pool, offering a modern, scalable solution that aligns with the evolving needs of the legal system. Certified digital reporters, equipped with advanced tools and rigorous training, ensure the accuracy and security of the record, making them valuable contributors to the profession.
A Call for Legislative Action and Industry Collaboration
As we previously wrote, the solution to California’s stenographic shortage must include strategies that recognize the realties and limitations of the modern legal landscape. This includes legislative efforts to formally recognize and support additional methods of record capture, specifically digital reporting, as a reliable and secure method of capturing the record.
By adopting these forward-thinking approaches, California’s courts can move beyond stopgap measures and establish a foundation for equitable and effective justice delivery, now and in the future.
[…] in its stenographic workforce. These orders acknowledge the dire circumstances — but as we have written before, they are stopgap measures. They do not resolve the underlying statutory restrictions, and they do […]