Riverside Superior Court will no longer provide official court reporters for probate, family law or civil restraining order cases, the court announced Jan. 13.
Litigants in those cases must turn to privately hired court reporters.
California has been facing a shortage of official court reporters. A publicly posted list of Riverside Superior Court’s court reporters lists 70 names.
The new policy will take effect Jan. 27:
- Official court reporters will be provided in felony criminal cases, juvenile, writ of habeas corpus matters, Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) and any other proceedings in which an official court reporter is mandated by law.
- Official court reporters will not be available for infractions, small claims, limited civil cases, unlimited civil, civil petitions, family law or probate cases.
- The Riverside Superior Court will provide electronic recording services for traffic court trials and unlawful detainer proceedings.
The court’s current rule, which took effect at the beginning of 2024, said official court reporters will be provided in felony criminal cases, criminal trials, juvenile, probate, writ of habeas corpus matters, civil restraining orders and any other proceedings in which an official court reporter is mandated by law.
