Court Reporting Terminology Flashcards
Federal and state statutes to protect trade and commerce from unlawful restraint, prior discrimination, price-fixing, and monopolies.
Anti-trust laws
A conversation held by attorneys with the judge out of the hearing of the jury, may also be called a sidebar.
Bench conference
The last page to appear within a transcript, dated and signed by the Court Reporter, who took the matter, attesting that the transcript is true and accurate.
Certificate page
A question extracted from a deposition and transcript by the reporter, to be taken to a judge, having jurisdiction in the matter for a ruling.
Certified question
Professional responsibility of reporter, to not disclose testimony to others; confidentialities extends to scopists, transcribers, and office staff.
Confidentialities
Jury selection, opening statement, examination of witnesses, physical evidence, plaintiff rest motion for direct verdict, defendant’s, case in chief, defendants rest, plaintiff’s rebuttal, defendant’s, surrebuttal, closing arguments, jury instructions, jury deliberations, and verdict, entry of judgment.
Elements of civil trial
Jury selection, opening statements, plaintiff’s case in chief defendant’s case in chief, prosecution, rebuttal, and defense surrebuttal, closing arguments, jury instructions, jury, deliberations, inverted, polling of jury.
Elements of criminal trial
Title, index, stipulations, body, exhibit, certificate.
Elements of transcript
A page separate from the transcript, upon which a deponent is permitted to correct any errors he or she claims are present in a transcript.
Errata page
Material items of physical evidence introduced by attorneys to corroborate and confirm oral testimony, or to introduce new evidence, which are marked for identification, so they can be discussed.
Exhibit
A portion of the federal rules of civil procedure, which defines matters pertinent to the taking of depositions; many states pattern the rules pertaining to depositions after this rule.
Federal Rule 30
Self-employed reporter, or one who works for an agency to report depositions and other proceedings as a subcontractor. 
Freelance reporter 
Professional responsibility, a reporter, to be fair and unbiased to each participant in a proceeding, and to be alert to, and disclose any potential conflict of interest.
Impartiality
Proceedings in which a non-English-speaking witness testifies through an interpreter, following an oath administer to the interpreter that he or she will truly interpret the testimony for the witness.
Interpreted proceedings
Extra services an individual reporter or agency offers, clients, including instant viewing, ASCII disks, keyboard, indexing, condensed transcripts, and print options.
Litigation support services 
A form of attestation by which a person calls upon his god is to witness truth of his testimony, called affirmation, when all reference to god is omitted; also referring to a swearing the witness.
Oath
During a deposition, a discussion held by attorneys, which is not reported; requires the agreement of all attorneys present.
Off the record
A reporter who works in a courtroom setting or does reporting for governmental agencies.
Official reporter
An expression or statement added to a transcript by the reporter, to explain non-verbal situation or movements, which occurred during a proceeding.
Parenthetical notation
Having high standards in one’s career, the ability to work with great skill, and treating all persons in a fair, impartial, and unbiased manner.
Professionalism
An order issued by court to permit, one party to temporary hold back certain documents, or information, or to protect a person from harassment or service of process, may also be used when interrogatories or request for production are oppressed or burdensome.
Protective order
A reporter may be requested to read back portions of testimony, following an objection, when a question needs to be rephrased, or following, a brief recess in the proceedings.
Readback (noun); read back (verb):
A preprinted form that is filled in at the time of the proceeding, or from the reporters notes, which indicates date, time, and location of the proceeding, appearances, exhibit, and witnesses, as well as any other information, pertinent for billing or contact, may also be called information sheet, poop sheet, dope sheet, dog, and control sheet.
Reporter’s worksheet
A transcript which is not fully edited, and may contain errors, does not include a title page, appearance page, or certificate page, but should contain a disclaimer and header or footer, stating that it is a rough draft.
Rough draft transcript