The Court Reporter Is the Custodian of the Record – Why Decentralized Evidence Systems Protect Justice

Court reporters are not just transcribers. They are custodians of a decentralized evidentiary system. Through layered capture, redundant backups, and personal legal responsibility, licensed reporters preserve the court’s memory across hundreds of sworn officers. Centralized recording systems collapse that structure into a single point of failure—making the legal record easier to manage, and easier to lose.

2026: The Year the Record Reasserts Itself

2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for court reporting. As courts and lawmakers confront the limits of agencies, AI, and automated recording, the profession is seeing renewed focus on responsible charge, accountability, and human judgment. Legislative clarity, reporter-centric technology, and coming court decisions may finally reassert who—and what—the legal record truly depends on.

When Software Tries to Stand In for a License – Why ASR “Cleanup” Is Not Court Reporting

As courts embrace automated speech recognition, a critical question is being overlooked: who controls the legal record, and where does it live? Replacing licensed court reporters with cloud-based transcription and post-hoc “cleanup” introduces risks that go far beyond accuracy. From silent realtime edits to juror privacy in voir dire, the integrity of the record—and public trust in the justice system—are at stake.