Court reporters are getting scarce

Law.com reports:

Are Court Reporters a Luxury Item in California?

For a growing number of California's trial lawyers, a briefcase isn't the only thing they need to bring to court anymore.

A handful of courts, struggling with severe budget cutbacks, are now requiring lawyers and litigants to hire their own court reporters for many types of civil proceedings -- or face going without one.

San Francisco Superior Court announced Thursday that it is dropping reporting services in 16 courtrooms, including most of its civil departments. Napa, Alameda and Stanislaus are among other courts that have already adopted, or are in the process of adopting, a bring-your-own-reporter policy. ...

Lawmakers, usually Republicans, have proposed in the past that courts switch to electronic court reporting to save money. Those proposals have quickly died, however, in the face of stiff opposition from the reporters' lobbies and unions as well as many lawyers who say recording is unreliable.

San Francisco court leaders are considering the use of electronic recording in misdemeanor cases, but not as a replacement for reporters in civil matters.

Court reporters are just not practical anymore. Universal electronic recording of courtroom proceedings is inevitable.