Court Reporter Crisis Drives L.A. to Electronically Record (1)

Los Angeles state court staff will be instructed to electronically record certain proceedings when no court reporter is available, officials announced Thursday—possibly in violation of state law.

Court staff will be directed to use electronic recording equipment for some family law, probate, and civil proceedings, California Superior Court, Los Angeles County Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner said in a news conference. The announcement follows years of raised flags about the county’s severe lack of court reporters, who are necessary to create verbatim records that parties need to appeal their cases.

When asked whether the court was potentially opening itself to litigation ...