Chapter 874 - Court Reporters

Sec. 51-61. Court reporter and court recording monitor to be sworn. Duties. Requests and payment for transcripts. (a) Each official court reporter, before entering upon the duties of the office, shall be sworn to faithfully perform such duties and shall then be an officer of the court. Each official court reporter may attend court proceedings and make accurate records of all proceedings in the court, except sessions of small claims.

(b) The Judicial Branch shall employ court recording monitors. Each court recording monitor, before entering upon the duties of the office, shall be sworn to faithfully perform such duties.

(c) Each official court reporter and court recording monitor shall, when requested, furnish to the court, to the state's attorney, to any party of record and to any other person, within a reasonable time, a transcript as may be desired, except that, if the proceedings were closed to the public, such official court reporter or court recording monitor shall not furnish such transcript to such other person unless the court in its discretion determines that such disclosure is appropriate.

(d) Each official court reporter and court recording monitor shall inform the state's attorney whenever a transcript has been requested by a party to a case in which the state's attorney has an appearance. If such request is made by a party, or by a party represented by counsel other than a public defender, the state's attorney shall, upon request, receive from such official court reporter or court recording monitor a copy of the transcript at no cost, as provided in subsection (a) of section 51-63.

(e) If a transcript has been requested by the state's attorney or a public defender in a matter in which each is a party to the case, the official court reporter or the court recording monitor shall inform the party that has not made the original request that the request has been made. If the nonrequesting party requests a copy of the transcript, prior to its delivery to the requesting party, the cost of such transcript shall be shared by the parties. The official court reporter or the court recording monitor shall provide the transcript in a form that may be photocopied, to either the state's attorney or the public defender. If a request for a transcript is received by the official court reporter or court recording monitor subsequent to delivery of the transcript, the requesting party in this instance shall be responsible for payment of the full copy rate of such transcript as provided in subsection (a) of section 51-63.

(f) Each official court reporter and court recording monitor shall inform the court whenever a transcript of proceedings has been requested by the state's attorney or any party of record pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. If such transcript has been requested, the court, upon request, shall receive from such official court reporter or court recording monitor a transcript at no cost as provided in subsection (a) of section 51-63.

(g) Whenever the court deems it necessary, it may order a transcript to be filed with the clerk of the trial court.

(1949 Rev., S. 7729; 1953, S. 3135d; P.A. 76-436, S. 74, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 79, 127; P.A. 82-248, S. 59; P.A. 84-23; P.A. 88-31; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 43, 55; P.A. 93-142, S. 6, 8; P.A. 98-81, S. 4; P.A. 19-64, S. 5.)

History: P.A. 76-436 specified that court reporters need not make records for small claims sessions proceedings and replaced reference to prosecuting attorneys with reference to assistants and deputy assistant state's attorneys, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 deleted references to terms and sessions of court reflecting change to court's continuous operation; P.A. 82-248 reworded section, divided section into Subsecs. and added provision re authorization of employment of assistant reporters formerly in Sec. 51-63; P.A. 84-23 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring a court reporter to make accurate records of the arguments of counsel upon the request of any party; P.A. 88-31 amended Subsec. (c) to require each reporter to furnish a transcript “to any other person” when requested and to add exception that if the proceedings were closed to the public the reporter shall not furnish such transcript to such other person unless the proceedings were commenced on or after October 1, 1988, and the court determines disclosure is appropriate; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12 created a new Subsec. (d) requiring a reporter to furnish a free copy of a transcript to prosecutors whenever one is requested by a party of record, created a new Subsec. (e) requiring the prosecutor and public defender to share the cost of a transcript when requested by both parties, created a new Subsec. (f) requiring reporters to inform the court whenever parties of record request a transcript and provide the court with a free copy if requested and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 93-142 added references to “monitors”, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 98-81 amended Subsec. (h) by adding “or the clerk's designee”; P.A. 19-64 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing provision re official court reporter to attend court and make accurate records of proceedings except sessions of small claims and arguments of counsel unless party requests records of arguments of counsel with provision re each official court reporter may attend court proceedings and make accurate records of proceedings in court except sessions of small claims, substantially amended Subsec. (b) including by deleting provisions re official court reporter to employ assistant court reporters and monitors if judge so directs and assistant reporters or monitors not to receive per diem rate unless employment authorized by judge, and assistant court reporter or monitor to be sworn to faithfully perform duties, and adding provision re Judicial Branch to employ court recording monitors who are to be sworn to faithfully perform duties, amended Subsec. (c) by deleting reference to assistant court reporter, replacing “monitor” with “court recording monitor” and deleting “or any assistant or deputy assistant state's attorney,”, deleting “of the proceedings, or such portion thereof”, replacing “court reporter” with “official court reporter”, replacing “monitor” with “court recording monitor”, deleting provision re furnishing portion of transcript, and deleting reference to proceedings commenced on or after October 1, 1988, deleted Subsec. (d) re court reporter or monitor to furnish transcript or portion thereof to state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney at no cost, deleted Subsec. (e) re form of transcript to be provided to state's attorney, assistant state's attorney, deputy assistant state's attorney, public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender and cost of transcript to be shared, added new Subsec. (d) re court reporter and court recording monitor to inform state's attorney when transcript requested by party to case in which state's attorney has appearance and provision of copy at no cost, added new Subsec. (e) re court reporter or court recording monitor to inform party of request by state's attorney or public defender for transcript and responsibility for payment of copies, amended Subsec. (f) by deleting reference to assistant court reporter and replacing “monitor” with “court recording monitor”, deleting references to portion of transcript and replacing reference to Sec. 51-63(c) with reference to Sec. 51-63(a), amended Subsec. (g) by deleting “of the proceedings, or any part thereof,”, deleted Subsec. (h) re record of proceedings on trial of any action to be filed within 30 days with clerk or designee, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2019.

Trial court may decline to stop a witness to enable prisoner's counsel to take notes of the testimony. 47 C. 534. Brief absence of stenographer does not make intervening proceedings void or erroneous. 71 C. 554. Notes may be read, or transcript submitted, to jury. 82 C. 66. If court concludes that transcript as certified by stenographer is incorrect, it has duty to correct it. 128 C. 289. Cited. 165 C. 152; 190 C. 219; 193 C. 439; 194 C. 233; 195 C. 496; 208 C. 156; 237 C. 339.

Cited. 36 CS 9; 42 CS 10; 43 CS 246.

Subsec. (a):

Cited. 193 C. 48; 199 C. 207; 216 C. 604; 231 C. 43.

Cited. 3 CA 148; 21 CA 235. Constitutional right to have voir dire proceedings recorded not established in Connecticut. 26 CA 125. Cited. 46 CA 269.

Sec. 51-62. Official court reporters and court recording monitors before judges, judge trial referees and family support magistrates. (a) Whenever a judge of the Superior Court, a judge trial referee or a family support magistrate sitting in chambers deems it necessary, the judge, judge trial referee or family support magistrate may call upon the official court reporter or court recording monitor for the judicial district in which any action pending is to be heard to take the evidence therein. The judge, judge trial referee or family support magistrate shall have and may exercise all the powers conferred by law upon a judge of the Superior Court when sitting as a court, with respect to transcripts of the official records of the official court reporter or court recording monitor.

(b) The official court reporter or court recording monitor when called upon shall attend the hearings, and shall have all the powers, be subject to the same duties and receive the same compensation for attendance and fees for transcripts of the official records as are authorized by law.

(1949 Rev., S. 7728; 1953, S. 3134d; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 82-248, S. 60; P.A. 89-360, S. 40, 45; P.A. 19-64, S. 6.)

History: P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district” for “county”; P.A. 82-248 made technical revision, rewording some provisions and dividing section into Subsecs. but made no substantive change; P.A. 89-360 amended Subsec. (a) by adding references to family support magistrates; P.A. 19-64 amended Subsec. (a) by replacing references to state referee with references to judge trial referee, adding reference to court recording monitor, and deleting “before the judge sitting in chambers, family support magistrate or state referee”, amended Subsec. (b) by adding reference to court recording monitor, and deleting “, or a competent assistant designated by him,”, deleted Subsec. (c) re compensation for attendance and fees for copies to be paid by clerk of superior court, and made technical and conforming changes, effective July 1, 2019.

Recognizing unique status of state referees. 164 C. 360.

Sec. 51-63. Official court reporter and court recording monitor charges for transcripts. Official and assistant stenographers of the Workers' Compensation Commission charges for transcripts. (a)(1) In addition to a salary, an official court reporter and a court recording monitor shall be entitled to charge an individual, who is not a public official, three dollars for each transcript page which is ordered and transcribed from the original record as provided by law, provided such rate may only be charged once. Any subsequent charge for a transcript page previously produced for an individual who is not a public official shall be one dollar and seventy-five cents.

(2) In addition to a salary, an official court reporter and a court recording monitor shall be entitled to charge any public official, other than a judicial officer or employee of the Judicial Branch, two dollars for each transcript page which is ordered and transcribed from the official record as provided by law, provided such rate may only be charged once. The charge to any public official, other than a judicial officer or employee of the Judicial Branch, shall be seventy-five cents for each transcript page previously produced, except (A) there shall be no charge to the state's attorney for a transcript provided pursuant to subsection (d) of section 51-61, and (B) there shall be no charge to the court for a transcript provided pursuant to subsection (f) of section 51-61.

(b) The fee for a transcript of such record, when made for the court or for the state's attorney when acting in the court's or state's attorney's official capacity, and for one copy each to the plaintiff and the defendant, shall, upon the certificate of the presiding judge having so ordered such transcript, be paid as other court expenses and, in all other cases, by the party ordering the same, and such copies shall be furnished within a reasonable time.

(c) Official and assistant stenographers in the offices of the administrative law judges shall be entitled, in addition to the compensation otherwise provided for, to the same fees for preparing transcripts as are provided for official court reporters and court recording monitors in the Superior Court.

(1949 Rev., S. 3607; 1957, P.A. 193; 1967, P.A. 450; 537; P.A. 74-261; P.A. 78-280, S. 2, 127; P.A. 79-376, S. 70; P.A. 81-390; P.A. 82-248, S. 61; 82-429, S. 1, 3; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 44, 55; P.A. 93-142, S. 5, 8; P.A. 94-64, S. 1, 2; P.A. 04-184, S. 1; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4, S. 28; P.A. 19-64, S. 7; P.A. 21-18, S. 1; 21-104, S. 42; P.A. 22-26, S. 16.)

History: 1967 acts changed compensation of assistant reporters from $28 for each day of attendance at court to such per diem rate as may be fixed by the judges and changed compensation for transcribed records from $0.20 for each folio and copy to $0.40 for each folio and $0.10 for each copy; P.A. 74-261 increased compensation from $0.40 to $0.50 per folio and from $0.10 to $0.16 per copy and added proviso retaining former rates as charges for state officials; P.A. 78-280 substituted “judicial district” for “county”; P.A. 79-376 substituted “workers' compensation” for “workmen's compensation”; P.A. 81-390 increased the fee for court transcripts from $0.50 to $0.70 for each folio and from $0.16 to $0.20 for each copy of each folio; P.A. 82-248 reworded section, divided section into Subsecs., deleted provision re employment of assistant reporters and reenacted such provisions as part of Sec. 51-61 and added language formerly in Sec. 51-64 re traveling expenses; P.A. 82-429 increased fee from $0.40 to $0.60 for each folio and $0.10 to $0.20 for each copy of each folio; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12 amended Subsec. (c) by creating a Subdiv. (1) and new Subdivs. (2) and (3) requiring court reporters to provide free copy of transcripts to the state's attorney, assistant state's attorney, deputy state's attorney or the court; P.A. 93-142 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing amount charged for each transcript page and added definition of “transcript page”, effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 94-64 amended Subsec. (c) by adding reference to adoption of procedures and to establishment and administration of system of fees for production of expedited transcripts, effective May 19, 1994; P.A. 04-184 amended Subsec. (c) by increasing fee for each transcript page from $1.75 to $3.00, adding provision re fee of $1.75 for each page for which a $3.00 charge already has been made and making a technical change, effective July 1, 2004; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 07-4 amended Subsec. (c)(1) to substitute charge of $2.00 for $1.50 for each transcript page and $0.75 for $0.50 for each page for which charge was already made, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 19-64 deleted former Subsecs. (a), (b) and (c) re salaries for and fees charged for transcript pages by official court reporters, assistant court reporters and monitors, added new Subsec. (a) re salary for and fees charged for transcript pages by official court reporter and court recording monitor, redesignated existing Subsecs. (d) and (e) as Subsecs. (b) and (c), amended redesignated Subsec. (c) by adding reference to court recording monitors, deleted former Subsecs. (f) and (g) re clerical assistance and traveling expenses provided to official court reporters, respectively, and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2019; pursuant to P.A. 21-18, “workers' compensation commissioners” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “administrative law judges” in Subsec. (c), effective October 1, 2021; P.A. 21-104 amended Subsec. (a)(2) by adding “, other than a judicial officer or employee of the Judicial Branch,”, effective July 1, 2021; P.A. 22-26 amended Subsec. (a)(2) to add “other than a judicial officer or employee of the Judicial Branch” re the per page transcript charge to any public official, effective May 10, 2022.

Cited. 7 CA 286.

Ethics board did not err in treating court reporters and Workers' Compensation Commission hearing reporters differently. 52 CS 304.

Sec. 51-64. Traveling expenses. Section 51-64 is repealed.

(1949 Rev., S. 3608; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 36; 1959, P.A. 615, S. 12; P.A. 82-248, S. 163.)

Sec. 51-65. Vacancy in office of court reporter. Section 51-65 is repealed, effective July 1, 2019.

(1949 Rev., S. 7730; P.A. 82-248, S. 62; P.A. 85-613, S. 76, 154; P.A. 19-64, S. 25.)

Secs. 51-66 to 51-71a. Court reporters and stenographers, generally. Sections 51-66 to 51-71a, inclusive, are repealed.

(1949 Rev., S. 3608, 7591, 7613, 7614, 7731, 7732; 1949, S. 3109d; 1957, P.A. 199, S. 1; 446, S. 2; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 36; March, 1958, P.A. 27, S. 57; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 14–18; 204; 1963, P.A. 31; 1967, P.A. 228; P.A. 74-183, S. 43, 44, 280, 291; P.A. 75-530, S. 8, 35; P.A. 76-436, S. 75, 547, 681.)

Sec. 51-72. Probate Court; stenographer may be called in by agreement. Whenever, in any court of probate, the parties or their attorneys so agree in writing, the judge of the court may call in a competent and disinterested person who is capable to act as a stenographer to act as the official stenographer in the whole or in such portion of the cause or matter as may be agreed upon. The compensation of the stenographer shall be paid by the parties in such proportion as the judge of the court decides, except that the compensation shall not exceed that of the official court reporter of the Superior Court.

(1949 Rev., S. 7733; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 94; P.A. 82-248, S. 63.)

History: 1959 act deleted references to municipal court and the taxing of costs therein, municipal courts having been abolished; P.A. 82-248 reworded section.

Cited. 194 C. 635; 237 C. 12.

Cited. 27 CA 333.

Sec. 51-73. Powers and duties of stenographer. Notes to be evidence. Appeals on record. Each stenographer called in and acting under the provisions of section 51-72 shall be sworn and shall have the powers and be subject to the duties prescribed by law for the official court reporter of the Superior Court. Evidence taken by any such stenographer shall have the same effect and be evidence to the same extent as evidence taken by the official court reporter of the Superior Court. Appeals from any decision rendered in any case after a record is made under this section and section 51-72, shall be on such record and shall not be a trial de novo.

(1949 Rev., S. 7734; 1959, P.A. 28, S. 95; P.A. 81-349, S. 4, 5.)

History: 1959 act deleted obsolete references to sections 51-70 and 51-71; P.A. 81-349 provided that appeals from any decision rendered in any case after a record is made shall be on such record and shall not be a trial de novo.

See Sec. 52-161 re consideration of transcripts of stenographer's record as part of official record.

Cited. 194 C. 635; 237 C. 12.

Cited. 27 CA 333.

Sec. 51-74. Use of digital recording equipment by official court reporter or court recording monitor. The record of proceedings in any court required to be made by an official court reporter or court recording monitor shall be made by digital recording equipment approved by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

(1953, S. 3136d; P.A. 82-248, S. 64; P.A. 19-64, S. 8.)

History: P.A. 82-248 made technical revision, rewording some provisions and dividing section into Subsecs. but made no substantive change; P.A. 19-64 deleted Subsec. designator from existing Subsec. (a) and amended same by replacing “assistant court reporter, stenographer or assistant stenographer may in the first instance be made by shorthand, by shorthand writing machine, or by a mechanical or sound recording device” with “or court recording monitor shall be made by digital recording equipment”, deleted former Subsec. (b) re court reporter or stenographer attending court and making record of proceedings by short hand or approved mechanical or sound recording device and deleted former Subsec. (c) re “shorthand notes”, “stenographic notes” and “official notes”.

See chapter 400l re licensing of shorthand reporters.

Cited. 165 C. 152.

Cited. 43 CS 246.