MI Court Reporter key terms

A court recorder who has passed a state board examination covering equipment operation, annotation, and transcript production using audio recording rather than machine shorthand or voice writing.

A reporter credentialed after examination to make verbatim stenographic or voice-writing records of proceedings and produce certified transcripts. In Michigan the credential is administered by the state board of examiners.

The Michigan body that sets examination content, administers certification tests, reviews applications, and hears disciplinary or competency matters involving certified reporters and recorders.

A panel that evaluates a candidate's failed examination performance, transcript samples, or conduct complaints and decides whether to grant credit, require reexamination, or recommend sanctions.

A multi-part test of shorthand speed and accuracy, transcription, and professional knowledge that a candidate must pass before receiving a state reporter or recorder credential.

A dictation segment using narrative or expository material at a set words-per-minute rate, later transcribed with an allowable error rate; it tests sustained accuracy on non-technical speech.

A dictation segment drawn from judicial instructions read at a prescribed speed, testing a candidate's ability to capture formal legal phrasing and citation-like language accurately.

A dictation exercise in which two speakers alternate or overlap, requiring the candidate to distinguish and attribute testimony, objections, and rulings within a single transcript.

The maximum number of transcription mistakes, usually computed as a percentage of total dictated words, that a candidate may make and still pass a speed or certification test.

The minimum combined or per-section result, expressed as a percentage or scaled score, that the board requires for certification or for credit on a single examination part.

A subsequent attempt at a failed examination section, subject to board rules on waiting periods, fees, and the number of attempts allowed before additional training is required.

The process by which a reporter certified in another jurisdiction obtains Michigan certification without full retesting, typically based on comparable standards and board approval.

A periodic minimum of approved instructional hours, often including ethics and technology topics, that a certified reporter must complete to renew certification and remain in good standing.

The recurring administrative process of paying fees, documenting continuing education, and confirming good standing so that a reporter's certification stays active for the next cycle.

The inactive status that results when renewal requirements are missed, which generally bars the person from reporting official proceedings until reinstated by the board.

The board process of restoring a lapsed or suspended certification after the applicant satisfies back fees, education, or examination conditions imposed in the board's order.

A temporary bar on practicing as a certified reporter, imposed by the board for misconduct or incompetence, after which the reporter may seek reinstatement under stated conditions.

The permanent withdrawal of a reporter's certification by the board, usually reserved for serious or repeated violations and carrying the strictest conditions for any later application.

The formal channel through which a judge, attorney, or party complains about a reporter's conduct or transcript quality, triggering investigation and possible board review.

The requirement that a transcript reproduce every spoken word of the record, including repetitions and false starts, omitting only material the judge orders stricken or off the record.

A statement or discussion that the judge directs not be captured for the official transcript; the reporter must confirm and note the boundaries of the excluded portion.

The status of proceedings being officially captured for the transcript, typically established when the judge or clerk announces that the record is open.

A discussion at the judge's bench among the judge and attorneys, which may be reported if the judge orders it recorded and which requires careful speaker attribution.

The exchange of remarks among judge, counsel, and witnesses during a proceeding, as distinct from formal question-and-answer testimony, and often the hardest portion to attribute.

The practice of labeling each utterance with the correct speaker, using titles and names consistently so a reader can follow who said what without hearing the audio.

Testimony that the judge orders removed from consideration; the reporter keeps it in the transcript but marks it as stricken so the appellate record shows what occurred.

The reporter's signed attestation that a transcript is a true and accurate record of the proceedings, which gives the document official status for appeal and archival purposes.

The required layout of a certified transcript, including title page, appearances, page and line numbering, exhibit markings, and certificate page, governed by court rule or board standard.

The compilation of a transcript's front matter listing witnesses, exhibits, and page references so that readers and appellate courts can locate portions of the record quickly.

The numbered or lettered identification of physical or documentary evidence as it is offered, with the reporter recording the marking, any objection, and the court's ruling.

A sound-isolating mask with a microphone used by voice writers so that dictated testimony is captured clearly without disturbing the courtroom.

A reporting method in which the reporter speaks the record into a mask or microphone, using speech recognition or shorthand phrases, and later edits the resulting text.

The instantaneous conversion of the reporter's keystrokes or speech into text displayed to participants, often used for attorneys or deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals during proceedings.

A secondary recording maintained alongside the primary method so that gaps, equipment failure, or disputed passages can be verified and the record preserved.

The reporter's contemporaneous written record of speaker changes, exhibit markings, objections, and technical interruptions, used to produce an accurate transcript later.

The required period for keeping notes, audio files, and transcripts before destruction, set by court rule or board policy and often tied to appeal deadlines.

Examination or practice material containing medical, engineering, or other specialized vocabulary, testing the reporter's ability to research and spell unfamiliar terms correctly.