Electronic recording of courtroom proceedings is gaining acceptance in courthouses around the state of Illinois because it is a cost-effective and accurate way of keeping court records, according to a feature article in the February 2006 issue of the Illinois Bar Journal, the monthly magazine of the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA).

In the article, “Making an Electronic Record: Good Reviews for Digital Recording,” author Helen W. Gunnarson interviewed chief judges and court administrators about the experience of electronic recording in their courtrooms. Generally, they give the electronic system high marks.

DuPage County Chief Judge Robert K. Kilander says that the best thing about electronic recording is that it's 100 percent accurate - even more so than live reporters, who are required to pass a test with 98 percent accuracy to become certified.

Kilander's court Administrator, Geri Barnes, a certified stenographic reporter with 36 years' experience, who was once skeptical about the process, says that even when more than one person is talking at once, the multi-track digital audience system often captures what each person is saying.

Supporting their use is Judge Robert L. Carter, currently chief judge of Illinois's Thirteenth Judicial Circuit. Courthouses around the state have an uneven availability of court reporters to hear cases, he explains. “The cornerstone of our justice system is the ability to appeal,” he states. “For an appeal, you need a very good and accurate record.”

Other advantages are that the digital coding enables a judge to quickly obtain a compact disc of a hearing or hearings. Electronic recording also eliminates the need to hire courtroom personnel, a challenge in an age when the state's budget is being cut.

The article notes that technological methods of recording court proceedings also cost money but can be less expensive than providing live reporters in every courtroom. In 2004, 14 new courtrooms were approved for participation in the Illinois Supreme Court's project on electronic reporting. Currently, all circuits, except the second, fourth, eleventh and seventeenth have some form of electronic reporting.
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