They might
just be a silent observer in a courtroom, yet a court
reporter’s role is as important as that of a jury or a judge.
Basically, a court reporter records and transcribes everything that
everyone says in the courtroom. Everything means every word, and
every syllable.
This might
not seem much of a challenge, but imagine trying to catch a word said
by someone talking too fast, or someone whose speech is muddled by a
thick accent. More importantly, imagine having to discern what people
are saying when they are talking all at once. This is the everyday
work of court reporters: they write a verbatim (word-for-word, exact
and precise) record of the events in the courtroom.
Transcriptions
of the events in the courtroom serve more than just a souvenir of
that day, however. Take note that the judiciary system has two
levels: the trial and the appellate court. If you appeal a case, the
appellate court reviews the case, and therefore collates every bit of
information to ensure that there had been no errors in giving out the
previous decision. This is where court reporters come in: the
appellate court will also review what happened during the trial, so
they will review what exactly happened through the court reporter’s
transcription.
These
transcriptions are also important in reminding lawyers, who often
have a lot of cases on their plates, on what has been agreed upon in
court, which is key while writing a written order formalizing the
agreement.
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