LA County courts are making it easier to request recordings of some hearings

Topline:

Why it matters: In the criminal courts, all juvenile and felony cases in California are required to have a court reporter. Cases involving misdemeanors and infractions can use electronic recordings. In civil, family law and probate cases, court reporters aren't mandated. Hiring a private court reporter can cost up to $3,300 per day, according to the Superior Court.

Appealing a court ruling is significantly harder without an official record of the hearing. In a 2018 ruling, California's Supreme Court recognized that not having a record of a hearing "will frequently be fatal" to the appeal.

The backstory: The new policy goes into effect Thursday. It comes in response to a California Supreme Court decision from August that the trial courts have a duty to provide litigants who can't pay for court reporters access to word-for-word recordings of proceedings in all civil cases.

The Superior Court in L.A. County, and others across the state, have pointed to an ongoing, years-long shortage of court reporters. They say that since the start of 2023, more than 830,000 hearings in civil court, family law and probate had no word-for-word record.

What court reporters think: The L.A. County Court Reporters Association disputes that there is a shortage, saying the data analysis the courts have relied on is flawed. The association called the state Supreme Court opinion a "devastating blow" to low-income litigants. It also said electronic recordings can be less accurate than what a certified court reporter would produce, which could "put justice at risk for thousands of Californians."

How to request a recording: Here's how to apply. Bear with us; it's not just click, fill out, and file:

• Fill out this form and attest under penalty of perjury that your hearing was not officially reported by a certified court reporter, and that you could not reasonably afford to hire a private one.
• File the request. You can file it electronically through a court-approved filing service provider, or in person at any Clerk's Office. The court will then verify that your hearing did not have an official reporter.
• Within two days of filing the form, visit the electronic recordings website to request the audio recording or a transcript. There is a fee of $40 to access audio recordings.