§ 12-4. Court reporter.

(a)

The city shall provide a court reporter for the purpose of preserving a record in cases tried before the municipal courts of record. The clerk of the court shall appoint the court reporter who must meet the qualifications provided by law for official court reporters.

(b)

The court reporter may use written notes, transcribing equipment, video or audio recording equipment, or a combination of those methods to record the proceedings of the court. The court reporter shall keep the record for the twenty-day period beginning the date after the last day of the court proceeding, trial or denial of the motion for new trial, whichever occurs last.

(c)

The court reporter is not required to record testimony in a case unless the judge or one of the parties requests a record. A party's request for a record shall be in writing and shall be filed with the court before the proceeding he or she wants recorded. The judge shall tell the defendant that unless the proceeding is recorded, the defendant waives the right to appeal.

(d)

The court clerk may have proceedings in the municipal court of record recorded by a good quality electronic recording device. If the court clerk authorizes the electronic recording, the court reporter need not be present at the proceeding. The recording shall be kept and stored for a twenty-day period beginning the day after the last day of the proceeding, trial or denial of a motion for a new trial, whichever occurs last. The proceedings that are appealed shall be transcribed from the recording by an official court reporter.

(Ord. No. 6712, § 1, 12-7-95)

State law reference

Court reporter, V.T.C.A., Government Code §§ 30.00010, 30.00086.