Tuesday, July 7, 2026

The California Supreme Court might authorize electronic recordings in civil court proceedings (I've never seen "voice writers" before)

LAT:

Proponents argue recordings would solve a long-standing crisis that leaves many proceedings with no verbatim record.

Court reporters say the job can be performed only by a human being

...

[One out of work tv writer] is now in training to become a “voice writer,” a form of note-taking that relies on a device called a stenomask — something like a cross between a podcast mic and a nebulizer — to produce a transcript. Voice writers repeat every word spoken in court along with a sequence of formatting commands to voice recognition software.

...

A change in state law in 2023 allowed voice writers to become licensed as “certified shorthand reporters,” opening a new pipeline