New Supreme Court committee studies how records are made of court proceedings

TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court has created the Ad Hoc Court Record Committee to review and analyze how records are made of court proceedings and offer recommendations for changes.

Most district courts use both official court reporters and electronic recordings to preserve records of court proceedings, although some courts use only one of the two methods. The committee will evaluate which cases must use a court reporter and which ones could be electronically recorded.

The Supreme Court instructed the committee to submit its recommendations by July 29, 2022.

The committee's members—including judges, court managers, court reporters, and attorneys—will keep in mind efforts to standardize case processing across the state as part of the rollout of a new centralized case management system.

The centralized case management system will allow a court employee in one judicial district to help process cases in another judicial district. The committee will study if the same capability could allow official court reporters and transcriptionists to share workloads.

The committee, which met for the first time March 1, also will:

• research methods used in other states for creating accurate and reliable court records;

• review standards for recording capabilities and equipment;

• study job classifications and pay for transcriptionists and official court reporters;

• consider certification programs for transcriptionists, electronic recorders, and electronic monitors;

• recommend any changes to statutes, Supreme Court rules, or Supreme Court orders; and

• consider the impact of any changes on court service, finances, and staffing and the likely costs, benefits, and sources of funding.

Chief Judge Grant Bannister of the 21st Judicial District chairs the committee. The 21st Judicial District is composed of Clay and Riley counties.

Others serving on the committee are:

• Chief Judge Bradley Ambrosier of the 26th Judicial District, composed of Grant, Haskell, Morton, Seward, Stanton, and Stevens counties;

• Chief Judge James McCabria of the 7th Judicial District, composed of Douglas County;

• District Judge Rachel Pickering of the 3rd Judicial District, composed of Shawnee County;

• District Judge Courtney Boehm of the 8th Judicial District, composed of Dickinson, Geary, Marion, and Morris counties;

• Dawn Rouse, court administrator of the 13th Judicial District, composed of Butler, Elk, and Greenwood counties;

• Ann McNett, chief clerk of the 30th Judicial District, composed of Barber, Harper, Kingman, Pratt, and Sumner counties;

• Kathryn Corbin, trial court clerk IV in the 10th Judicial District, composed of Johnson County;

• Sharon Cahill, managing court reporter of the 29th Judicial District, composed of Wyandotte County;

• Lynelle Gottschalk, court reporter in the 23rd Judicial District, composed of Ellis, Gove, Rooks, and Trego counties;

• Lindsey Hager, court reporter in the 18th Judicial District, composed of Sedgwick County;

• Shaun Higgins, court reporter in the 11th Judicial District, composed of Cherokee, Crawford, and Labette counties;

• Cheryl Hayes, transcriptionist in the 8th Judicial District, composed of Dickinson, Geary, Marion, and Morris counties;

• Michael Kagay, Shawnee County district attorney, Topeka;

• N. Russell Hazlewood, civil defense attorney, Wichita;

• Michele O’Malley, civil plaintiff attorney, Kansas City;

• Carrie Parker, criminal defense attorney, Lawrence;

• Sarah Reichart, director of Kansas Supreme Court appeals; and

• Krisena Silva, district court clerk specialist for the Office of Judicial Administration.

Amy Raymond, director of trial court programs, and other Office of Judicial Administration personnel will provide support as needed.