NCJ Number
142599
Journal
ABA Journal Volume: 79 Dated: (May 1993) Pages: 84-87
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Court reporters have been battling against an amendment to Rule 30(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures that would allow one side in a lawsuit to record a deposition on video or audiotape rather than with a court reporter's stenography without first obtaining a court order.
Abstract
Judges view the amendment to Rule 30(b) as a potential for trimming their workload and possibly saving litigants money, but court reporters perceive that the rule change would jeopardize "the quality and efficiency of the discovery process." The reporters worry that if the Federal amendment becomes law, States might adopt similar rules. Courts throughout the United States already record some or all court proceedings on audiotape, as do most Federal magistrate- judges, about half the bankruptcy judges, and 14.5 percent of the Federal District judges as this is a way to cut reporters' salaries out of the budget. Confronted by conflicting data about the best record-keeping method, a number of courts have decided to use all of them. These courts use inexpensive, imperfect audio for master calendar, law- and-motion, and other high-volume courts where a record on appeal is rarely needed. For death penalty and complex civil cases, the courts use computer-integrated courtroom methods as this produces daily transcripts quickly. For the inbetween matters, the judges use what each deems appropriate.