Access to the Record of California Trial Court Proceedings

In more than 1 million hearings per year, no official record is available from the court because California law requires the use of certified shorthand reporters (CSRs) and there are too few CSRs employed to staff trial courtrooms. Well-financed litigants can bring private CSRs to court – giving them an unfair advantage over low- and moderate-income people.

Our report explains how an official record is crucial for equal access to justice. It documents the dramatic gap in available CSRs to create an official record. And it assesses options to address this access to justice issue.

Download and read the full report here.

Download the fact sheet here.