As a Court of Record, proceedings in the Court of Common Pleas and
Municipal Court criminal division hearings must be transcribed. The
Court's 115 Official Court Reporters are assigned to courtrooms to
stenographically record testimony, arguments or other spoken
presentations heard by all judges throughout the First Judicial
District.
Investing in their personal computerized stenotype machines, the
Official Court Reporters utilize Computer Aided Transcription (CAT),
the standard of accuracy for a record on appeal, to create
transcripts. The verbatim testimony of the court proceeding is
recorded by the official reporter in court. Once translated, the "raw"
transcript is edited on a computer system, using modified word
processing software.
A number of Official Court Reporters have been additionally certified
in producing "real time" transcription, which is the immediate
transcription of the verbatim testimony being taken in the courtroom.
The simultaneous transcription can be viewed during a trial on
courtroom computer monitors or the judge's or court reporter's laptop
computer.
All transcripts produced by the court reporters are electronically
archived on the Court Reporter E-Archiving System. The CRS database
stores all transcripts electronically. Access is through a password
provided to judges, judicial staff, District Attorneys and Defenders.
This has eliminated time-consuming copying, and "lost" transcripts,
and the paper costs. Notes of Testimony can also be printed or emailed
for Appellate Court transmission. Transcripts are sent via email to
court-appointed attorneys as well.
The FJD Project Team developing the First Judicial District's
E-Archiving Court Reporter System worked hard to succeed in creating a
reliable archive that is easily accessed, safe, and responsive, in
terms of transcript delivery AND management reporting and analysis.
The Major Advantages to an electronically-stored archiving system for
transcripts is reliability, easy access, less paper, better
accountability and monitoring.
DIGITAL RECORDING MONITORS
In 2004 the District hired Digital Recording Technicians to monitor
the new computerized digital recording devices used in courtrooms to
record the proceedings on a digital audio computer. Transcripts of
hearings are transcribed when needed to provide a fully accurate
record of the courtroom proceeding. At the present time the FJD
employs 15 fully-trained Technicians to monitor the computerized
digital recording systems.
Please complete a separate Digital Recording Order Form and fax the
attached form to order a transcript produced by digital recording.
RECORD REPRODUCTION CENTER
The Copy Center supports the court reporters by generating copies of
the transcripts and distributing them to the appropriate judges, court
appointed counsel, Appeals Units, Prothonotary and the Clerk of
Quarter Sessions.
With the implementation of an archiving system of all completed
transcripts generated and stored on a computer database, multiple
copies of transcripts are no longer printed, but accessed through the
CRS system by DAs, PDs and judicial staff, reducing the cost of paper
storage and copy production. The Copy Center prints forms, letterhead,
booklets, and various documents for the entire First Judicial
District.
Who Creates the Record?
The Official Court Reporter is accountable for maintaining the
accuracy and integrity of the record. But it is the attorneys, the
judges, the court officers and the reporters working as a team that
develop, organize and create the record at the time of the hearing.
While it is the duty and responsibility of the official reporter to
produce an accurate transcript of the proceeding, it is the obligation
and charge of the attorneys in the courtroom to make a complete
factual representation of the issues in the courtroom for appellate
review.
To Order a Transcript of a Proceeding:
Mail or fax a completed Transcript Order Form requesting the notes
of testimony to the Official Court Reporter, 215-683-8005. Include on
the form the exact date of the hearing, the name of the presiding
judge, the name of the case and/or defendant's name, and your phone
number. We cannot assist you without the above information.
The Official Court Reporter will respond by phone or fax, giving you
the information on any deposit that may be required, and will also
give you estimated date of completion. The reporter or a Copy Center
employee will call when the transcript has been submitted for
archiving and/or printing. You may pick up the transcript at our Copy
Center when ready.
If you are a defendant requesting a Transcript, do not use the link to
the Transcript Order Form until you read and
follow the instructions below. We will be happy to assist you,
providing you follow the procedures attached.
Please be advised, however, that if you already have an attorney, if
you are presently represented by private counsel, or have a public
defender as your attorney now, you must contact them BEFORE ordering a
transcript through our office. Otherwise, you will have to pay for the
transcript.
Equal access to justice for all those who come before the Court in
Philadelphia is provided by two departments within the The First
Judicial District of Pennsylvania.
The Court maintains an office for Spanish Staff Interpreters that
provide interpreting services to all court locations. The following
phone numbers are for Spanish interpreters in the various locations:
For the Criminal Justice Center, Common Pleas Criminal Division:
215-683-7093, or Municipal Court Criminal Division: 215-683-7272. For
1801 Vine Street, Family Court, Juvenile Division: 215-686-4279. And
for 34 S. 11th Street, Family Court, Domestic Relations Branch:
215-686-3513.
Court Reporter and Interpreter Services contracts with independent
interpreting agencies to provide Court Interpreters for all languages
other than Spanish, and for sign language interpreters. To Contact
Court Reporter and Interpreter Services to arrange for an interpreter
other than Spanish, please call 215-683-8000.
The following information may help you, or assist you in helping a
non-English speaking person, or deaf person to navigate our court
system:
If you are a Court Officer, Customer Service Representative, Probation
Officer, Advocate, Attorney, or someone representing and/or assisting
a person in need of an interpreter, please contact Interpreter
Services at the time the matter is being listed in order to give us
time to arrange in advance to have an interpreter present.
The Court Interpreter Request Form is to be
used when making a request for an interpreter by any Court employee,
or representative from City Agencies, the District Attorney's Office,
the Defender Association, any Advocacy group, or court-appointed
attorneys. Please fax the form in advance of your listing to
215-683-8005.
If the matter is continued or re-listed, or the party that needs the
interpreter will not be present at the previously planned time, please
contact this office as soon as possible to cancel the interpreter. The
First Judicial District of Pennsylvania is obligated to pay for the
interpreter if advance cancellation notice is not given to the agency.
Sign language interpreters for the deaf or hearing-impaired that are
hired by the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania often arrive as a
team. This occurs because until the deaf interpreter meets the user,
we are not sure whether or not the person uses sign language or a
home-based sign language. Two interpreters are needed if the deaf
person is not an American Sign Language user.
Please try to ascertain from the person who needs a language
interpreter, or anyone with that individual, what country they are
from, or region, and what dialect they speak. This information saves
wasted time later at the hearing, and often can alleviate having to
continue the matter a second or sometimes third time to determine
exactly which dialect they speak.
Our Interpreters have requested and appreciate as much information
about a matter ahead of time as can be given. What type of case is
this? Is it a Murder trial? a Custody dispute? How long do you expect
this matter to take? will it be 15 minutes? all day? a 3-week trial?
If the person received interpreting services previously, what date was
that service provided? This information assists our office and the
agencies to assign and schedule the appropriate interpreter to each
matter.
Court Interpreters have an ethical duty to interpret for the client
within the courtroom setting: what the judge, the attorneys and
witnesses say and questions asked. However, they should not be asked,
and we specifically require them not to explain the law, or any legal
issue to a client. This is the duty of the Court and the attorneys;
not the interpreter. The Interpreter is hired by the Court as an
impartial party to provide language interpretation for the client; not
to be their advocate or advisor.
Should you require more information pertaining to Court Interpreters
in the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, please feel free to
contact roseann.diprimio@courts.phila.gov and she will be
happy to assist you.
FIRST JUDICIAL DISTRICT
COURT REPORTER and INTERPRETER ADMINISTRATION
100 S. Broad Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19110
215 683-8000
215 683-8005 - fax
