NCJ Number
138428
Journal
Judges' Journal Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1992) Pages: 2-6,35-37
Date Published
1992
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Video court reporting, a departure from tradition, introduces the potential to provide visual evidence to the appellate court but raises questions about how such evidence may affect the scope of appellate review.
Abstract
For court reporters, video reporting is a potential threat to their role and function, since it captures court proceedings without a camera operator. In a typical courtroom, five to seven cameras and about the same number of microphones are required to record the proceedings. The special strength of video reporting is that it makes court proceedings come to life. The purchase of video reporting systems is usually defended on the basis of cost savings; they do not require the employment of highly trained professionals to keep records. Intrinsic disadvantages of video reporting are that videotape is slow to review and that the computer-aided transcription involved makes it prohibitively expensive for routine litigation. Judges need to distinguish how video records are made and how they will be used and whether the lifelike character of video records will help or harm appellate practice. A national survey of trial attorneys to evaluate attitudes toward video reporting indicates that positive views outnumber negative ones. 15 footnotes, 1 table, and 4 figures