Legislation designed to meet demand for court transcripts

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(The Center Square) – Assemblymember Tom Lackey, R-Palmdale, is introducing a bill to meet the growing demand for court transcripts.

Assembly Bill 1189 is designed to meet the shortage of certified court stenographic reporters by modernizing the court reporting system. The legislation would create a certification process for digital court reporters and legal transcriptionists, who produce transcripts from the reporters' digital audio recordings.

The bill is expected to be heard by the Assembly Judiciary and Appropriations Committees during the 2026 session, Lackey's office told The Center Square.

Between October 2023 and August 2024, more than 1.2 million civil, family law and probate hearings took place without a verbatim record, according to the Judicial Branch of California.

“That means a litigant can’t appeal a decision,” Lackey, who introduced the bill this year, told The Center Square. “These are very life-changing decisions. You have conservatorships, child custody cases, very delicate issues that cannot be appealed. …

“Unless the person can afford to hire a private reporter, they’re left without any legal recourse, and there’s no way to challenge errors or ensure fairness,” the Assembly member said.

AB 1189 would establish a state-run certification process for digital court reporters, who are trained professionals using advanced audio recording technology. Under the legislation, a regulatory body such as the California Court Reporters Board would oversee the certification.

The legislation wouldn’t replace stenographic court reporters and, in fact, prohibits courts from laying off stenographers solely to hire digital court reporters, according to Lackey's office.

Instead the bill would create a system in which certified shorthand reporters, digital reporters and transcriptionists work together to meet the growing demand for court records, the Assembly member's office said.

As of January 2025, California courts needed 458 more full-time court reporters to meet the current demand, according to Lackey’s office. Nearly half of active certified stenographic reporter licenses were issued more than 30 years ago, meaning the state is dealing with an aging workforce. Lackey's office said the state has been unable to recruit reporters despite signing bonuses, tuition reimbursements and salary increases.

The office told The Center Square that the state Department of Finance would determine the cost of AB 1189 when the bill goes to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

“I don’t have the actual cost,” Lackey said, but added, “What is the cost of injustice?”