The Legal Record, Explained – Why a Transcript Is Not a Recording—and Why That Distinction Now Matters

A recording is raw data. A transcript is sworn evidence. A legal record is an evidentiary system. Today, those distinctions are being blurred, and the justice system is inheriting risks it does not yet see. When accountability chains thin and custody diffuses, courts lose more than accuracy. They lose defensibility.

Where the Record Is Really Being Written – A Quiet Transformation Hidden in Plain Sight

Courtrooms across America are quietly shifting from certified verbatim reporting to AI transcripts, digital recordings, and agency-controlled “roughs.” The result? Hearsay masquerading as the official record — with no clear custodian, no accountability, and enormous power flowing to private platforms. This isn’t just a professional issue; it’s a constitutional one. If we lose control of the record, we lose control of justice itself.