EYES OF A COURT REPORTING TIGER

By Hector Rodriguez
Independent Student Reporter

PHILADELPHIA, PA – No longer are courts the sterile environments of olden days. The new wave of technology such as digital cameras and wireless transfer of information has meant that courts have had to adjust the practice of admitting reporters into the court and protecting the validity of the case as well.

On January 24, 2005, the President of the PA Court Reporters Association (CRA), James DeCrescenzo, RDR, CRR, CLVS, commented on the state of courts with regards to journalists. While he has 34 years of court reporting experience, DeCrescenzo serves still as a freelance reporter, and is the owner of James DeCrescenzo Reporting in Philadelphia. Through a phone interview, he presented a modern, realistic view of the court system and the way reporters are affected.

For starters, DeCrescenzo explains that most of the work performed by court reporters is done at what is known as depositions. These are pre-trial examinations under oath, in which both attorneys ask questions of the plaintiff and defendant to assess the claims to injury, be it physical, emotional, or monetary. DeCrescenzo calls this the “discovery phase” since this is also where attorneys determine the strength of the argument. The importance of the preliminary hearing is that “95% of court cases settle,” saving time and even money.

Then, DeCrescenzo gives weight to the physical environment of a court room. He cites City Hall as an example. “City Hall is built over a subway system. The court room has a tendency to shake and makes it difficult to use and understand audio devices, especially with the 30-foot high ceilings which ruin the acoustics.” He also notes the lack of central air conditioning, in which AC window units still reign supreme. Reporters in this situation are relied upon to create a verbatim record which becomes part of the court record as well, and can even be the basis of appeals, says the PA CRA President.

Technology plays a big role in overcoming nasty environments. In the late 1980’s, court reporters were the first to use transcriptions of synchronized audio. DeCrescenzo explains it as multiple recordings of the same conversation from varying spots in the room, so that even if two or more people spoke at the same time, the recordings could isolate one voice for ease of transcription.

More efficient is the recent emergence of Real Time technology. This is best described by the U.S. Department of Labor as “stenotype machines used for real time captioning are linked directly to the computer. As the reporter keys in the symbols, they instantly appear as text on the screen. This process is used in courts, in classrooms, at meetings, and for closed captioning for the hearing-impaired on television.” Essentially, we have computer assisted transcriptions.

One of the barriers to effective court reporting remains a lack of funding says the PA CRA President. More and more work is expected from fewer employees and with fewer resources. The economy is a limiting factor, since low rates make the profession less attractive. However, there still exist benefits such as travel. DeCrescenzo cites England, Canada, China and Luxemburg as just a few of the countries where he has been able to visit and make use of his experience in court reporting.