He explained that the shortage has been a problem for more than 10 years. “People thought before that Court Reporters were on their way out because of technology. So there wasn’t an influx of new students,” he said, adding that lack of knowledge about the field contributed to the problem. But relying solely on digital recording devices has created other challenges. “There have been times when the trial went on for days and the recording device wasn’t working but no one knew it,” he said, noting that the devices were more likely to be used in the lower courts. “Without that human factor, when people talk over each other, or someone says a technical term or perhaps has an accent—when someone down the road goes to type from the recording, they have no one to ask ‘What did they say? Can you clarify that?’ ”Charles Callahan III, president of Plaza College, called the current situation a “national emergency.” “In some states.....MORE
