Why Do Some Court Reporters Have the Title “Official”?

If your work brings you in contact with court reporters, or
if you happen to be one of those lucky people with more than one court reporter
in your circle of friends, you might have heard some court reporters referred
to as “Officials” and others as… well, not officials.

Is an official court reporter better than other court
reporters? The short answer is, no. The title “Official” has nothing
to do with a court reporter’s skill set. It merely refers to the venue in which
they practice their craft.In this week’s post we’ll take a look at what an
“Official” court reporter does, and next week we’ll take a look at
what makes up a freelance, or non-official, court reporter’s job.

Official court reporters are employed by the government,
either by a state or a federal court. During the average workday they are in
the courtroom, taking down the proceedings in either civil or criminal courts.
If a transcript is ordered, usually because one party is appealing a ruling or
verdict, the reporter has to prepare that during non-courtroom hours.

Official court reporters receive a salary, but they aren’t normal
salaried employees. Oftentimes they must pay for their own equipment and its
upkeep. They are paid separately for any transcripts ordered, but if the
ordering party is indigent they receive a set (and usually quite low) rate from
the state. These earnings are counted as self-employment income.

Even though transcripts are produced outside of the
courtroom and are separate income, court reporters are held to strict timelines
for appellate transcript preparation in order to ensure a timely appeal process
for the parties. In North Carolina, most appellate transcripts must be produced
within 60 days from the date they’re ordered;in capitally-tried murder cases transcripts
must be produced within 120 days. That seems like a long time. A week-long
civil case will, on average, generate a 1,000-page transcript, which that
reporter must produce essentially at night and on the weekend. Because of this,
court reporters in busy jurisdictions routinely work 60- to 80-hour work weeks
and employ typists, scopists, and proofreaders to help them meet deadlines.

If that seems like a lot of work, it is. But official court
reporters usually stay with their jobs because they have an assured in-court
schedule, a steady paycheck, and benefits, and many freelance reporters do not.

In next week’s blog, read about the pros and cons of
freelance court reporting!