AAERT and STAR are merging. The message is bigger than the merger. 

The legal record is one of the justice system’s most fundamental guarantees. It is the foundation of appeals, the protection against error, and the assurance that every litigant’s day in court is documented accurately and completely. Ensuring that record gets made — in every courtroom, in every jurisdiction — is a responsibility the profession takes seriously.

That responsibility is growing. Demand for court reporting services is rising as caseloads increase and the legal system expands. At the same time, technology has transformed how the record can be captured — creating new pathways into the profession and new tools to support the trained professionals who do this work. The profession is larger, more diverse, and more capable than ever before.

Now, the associations that represent these professionals are rising to meet the moment. The American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers (AAERT) and the Society for the Technological Advancement of Reporting (STAR) announced this week that their Boards of Directors have voted unanimously to pursue a merger to create CAPTUR: the Council for the Advancement of Professionals, Technology, and Unbiased Reporting. 

It is a major move that reflects where the profession is headed — and a meaningful step toward ensuring the record is always captured.

A Profession Expanding to Meet Growing Need

The demand for qualified court reporters has never been greater. Depositions, hearings, and proceedings of every kind depend on a trained professional in the room — someone who can create an accurate, certified record that the legal system can rely on.

Yet, an aging stenographic workforce is retiring faster than new professionals can be trained, as AAERT laid out in its 2025 industry trends report.  

The result? Courtrooms and legal systems across the country are struggling to secure coverage today, from crisis-level court reporter shortages in California to Arkansas to New York and nearly every state in between.

Meeting that demand requires investing in a broad and well-supported workforce. Stenography has long been the backbone of the profession and remains indispensable. Digital court reporting and voice writing have grown significantly in recent years, expanding coverage into jurisdictions and settings that previously struggled to find it.

Advances in technology have made all three methods more precise, more efficient, and more accessible — and the professionals who use them are better trained and better credentialed than ever.

The Coalition to Capture the Record has always believed that this diversity of method is a strength, not a liability. The question at the center of every proceeding is the same regardless of how the record is made: Is it accurate? Is it complete? Was it produced by a qualified, accountable professional? 

When the answer to those questions is yes, justice is served.

From Unity to CAPTUR

According to the joint news release, the seeds of CAPTUR were planted at the Unity 2025 Conference, where STAR and AAERT found that their shared values ran deeper than their organizational differences. 

Both associations are committed to quality, accuracy, and the essential role of the human professional. Both recognized that as the profession grows and evolves, a unified voice is essential to advocate effectively for its members — and for the litigants who depend on their work.

Their conclusion: they could be stronger together than apart. Strength in numbers.

The result is CAPTUR, a new faction to unite every professional who creates, supports, and protects the legal record. That includes stenographers, digital court reporters, voice writers, legal transcribers, videographers, scopists, editors, proofreaders, students, instructors, agency owners, managers, and related professionals. 

For the first time, all of these voices will be represented under one team, speaking with one credible, coordinated voice to courts, clients, and policymakers. Importantly, CAPTUR’s leadership will reflect the full breadth of the profession — court reporters using all methods of reporting, transcribers, legal videographers, freelancers, and firm owners and managers.

Why This Matters for Access to Justice

The Coalition to Capture the Record was formed on a simple principle: every litigant, in every courtroom, deserves an accurate and complete record of their legal proceedings. 

That principle does not change based on the method used to capture it. It holds whether the reporter uses a stenotype, a digital recording system, or voice writing technology — as long as the work is done by a trained, certified professional who is accountable for the result.

As the profession grows and technology continues to advance, the most important thing is that coverage expands with it. When qualified, certified professionals are recognized and supported regardless of their method, more courtrooms can be served, more proceedings can be documented, and more litigants can count on the record being there when they need it.

A unified profession is better positioned to make that case — to courts, to legislatures, to the industry and to the public. CAPTUR’s formation strengthens the collective ability of the profession to advocate for the policies, training pathways, and professional standards that will expand and sustain coverage for years to come.

That is advocacy the Coalition to Capture the Record fully supports. All qualified methods of court reporting have a role to play in meeting the growing need. The goal is to make sure the record gets made — accurately, reliably, and by a human professional who is trained and accountable for the work.

A Stronger Profession. A More Accessible Justice System.

Across the country, the movement to expand access to all qualified methods of court reporting is gaining ground. States are studying the impact of allowing other methods of capture.  Courts are actively considering their standards. 

The growing acceptance of digital reporting and voice writing alongside stenography reflects a simple truth: what matters is the quality of the record, not the method used to create it.

CAPTUR’s formation gives that movement a stronger, more unified partner. Together, we can support the policy changes, professional standards, and public education needed to ensure that every state has the qualified reporters it needs, using every tool the profession has to offer.