Iowa Study Chooses Court Reporters Over ER

Posted in: Court Reporter News

A report on the reliability and costs of digital recording technology to replace court reporters in Iowa courtrooms is out, along with a letter from the majority of the study committee that says while the technology is fine, they value court reporters.

Ten of the 18 members of the Digital Audio/Visual Recording Technology Committee signed a letter saying they don’t think the technology should replace live court reporters. Bobbi Alpers, chief judge of the judicial district that includes Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine and Scott counties, was one of them.

The technology is commonly referred to as DART.

“It is not feasible simply to install DART equipment as a replacement for certified stenographic court reporters,” the letter sent to Iowa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus early this month said. Court reporters, the letter said, are an invaluable asset to the state’s judicial system.

“We have seen firsthand on a daily basis the reliability and high quality of court reporting in the state,” the letter said.

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