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| April 17, 2015 | |
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Alliance Backs Bill for Court Reporters in Key Cases Most of us are trial court judges. We have a deep appreciation for the work that court reporters perform. We know that transcripts protect rights. Transcripts clarify complex and subtle rulings. Transcripts preserve testimony; without them, valid grounds for appeal are lost. Transcripts protect judges from false accusations of misconduct. One of the most painful repercussions of the budget crisis of the last half-decade is the reduction in the number of court proceedings for which court reporters are required. Our courts have laid off hundreds of capable court reporters, and the quality of justice in California has suffered considerably as a result. Assembly Member Richard Bloom (D-Los Angeles), a family law attorney for nearly 30 years, has authored Assembly Bill 749. This bill would require the stenographic reporting of vital proceedings in child custody and domestic violence restraining order cases. Assembly Member Bloom’s proposal would restore an important measure of protection to some of our most vulnerable litigants in some of our most important proceedings—proceedings at which lives are literally at stake. We endorse it wholeheartedly. Alliance President Judge Steve White sent a letter to Assembly Member Bloom this morning expressing our support for the bill, which passed through the Assembly Judiciary Committee this week and is now headed to the Assembly Appropriations Committee before it moves to the floor for a vote. We encourage judges from throughout the state to join us in supporting this important bill. Directors, Alliance of California Judges |
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Alliance of California Judges |