State Codes and Statutes
Statutes > Connecticut > Title51 > Chap874 > Sec51-61Sec. 51-61. Court reporter to be sworn. Duties. Transcript. (a) Each official court reporter, before entering upon the duties of his office, shall be sworn to faithfully perform them and shall then be an officer of the court. He shall attend the court and make accurate records of all proceedings in the court, except sessions of small claims and the arguments of counsel, provided upon the request of any party, he shall make accurate records of the arguments of counsel.
(b) Each official court reporter shall, if the judge or judges of the court so direct, employ assistant court reporters and monitors to attend such court as the judge or judges may desire. He shall not employ assistant reporters or monitors receiving a per diem rate to attend any session unless their employment is authorized by the judge holding the session. Each assistant court reporter or monitor, before entering upon his duties, shall be sworn to faithfully perform them.
(c) Each official court reporter, assistant court reporter and monitor shall, when requested, furnish to the court, to the state's attorney or any assistant or deputy assistant state's attorney, to any party of record and to any other person, within a reasonable time, a transcript of the proceedings, or such portion thereof as may be desired, except that, if the proceedings were closed to the public, such court reporter or monitor shall not furnish such transcript or portion thereof to such other person unless the proceedings were commenced on or after October 1, 1988, and the court in its discretion determines that such disclosure is appropriate.
(d) Whenever a transcript of proceedings, or a portion thereof, has been requested by any party of record pursuant to subsection (c) of this section, the court reporter or monitor shall furnish a transcript or portion thereof to the state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney at no cost as provided in subsection (c) of section 51-63.
(e) Whenever a transcript of proceedings, or a portion thereof, has been requested by the state's attorney, assistant state's attorney or deputy assistant state's attorney and the public defender, assistant public defender or deputy assistant public defender, the court reporter or monitor shall provide a transcript or portion thereof, in a form that may be photocopied, to either such state's attorney or such public defender and the cost of such transcript, or portion thereof, shall be shared by such state's attorney and such public defender.
(f) Each official court reporter, assistant court reporter and monitor shall inform the court whenever a transcript of proceedings, or a portion thereof, has been requested by the state's attorney, assistant or deputy assistant state's attorney or any party of record pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. If such transcript or portion thereof has been requested, the court, upon request, shall receive from such court reporter or monitor a transcript, or portion thereof, at no cost as provided in subsection (c) of section 51-63.
(g) Whenever the court deems it necessary, it may order a transcript of the proceedings, or any part thereof, to be filed with the clerk of the trial court.
(h) All records of the proceedings taken on the trial of any action shall, within thirty days after the action has been submitted, be filed with the clerk or the clerk's designee, except that for the purpose of transcribing such records the court reporter or monitor may at any time withdraw them for a reasonable time.
(1949 Rev., S. 7729; 1953, S. 3135d; P.A. 76-436, S. 74, 681; P.A. 78-280, S. 79, 127; P.A. 82-248, S. 59; P.A. 84-23; P.A. 88-31; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12, S. 43, 55; P.A. 93-142, S. 6, 8; P.A. 98-81, S. 4.)
History: P.A. 76-436 specified that court reporters need not make records for small claims sessions proceedings and replaced reference to prosecuting attorneys with reference to assistants and deputy assistant state's attorneys, effective July 1, 1978; P.A. 78-280 deleted references to terms and sessions of court reflecting change to court's continuous operation; P.A. 82-248 reworded section, divided section into Subsecs. and added provision re authorization of employment of assistant reporters formerly in Sec. 51-63; P.A. 84-23 amended Subsec. (a) by requiring a court reporter to make accurate records of the arguments of counsel upon the request of any party; P.A. 88-31 amended Subsec. (c) to require each reporter to furnish a transcript "to any other person" when requested and to add exception that if the proceedings were closed to the public the reporter shall not furnish such transcript to such other person unless the proceedings were commenced on or after October 1, 1988, and the court determines disclosure is appropriate; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 91-12 created a new Subsec. (d) requiring a reporter to furnish a free copy of a transcript to prosecutors whenever one is requested by a party of record, created a new Subsec. (e) requiring the prosecutor and public defender to share the cost of a transcript when requested by both parties, created a new Subsec. (f) requiring reporters to inform the court whenever parties of record request a transcript and provide the court with a free copy if requested and relettered the remaining Subsecs. accordingly; P.A. 93-142 added references to "monitors", effective June 14, 1993; P.A. 98-81 amended Subsec. (h) by adding "or the clerk's designee".
The trial court may decline to stop a witness to enable prisoner's counsel to take notes of the testimony. 47 C. 534. Brief absence of stenographer does not make intervening proceedings void or erroneous. 71 C. 554. Notes may be read, or transcript submitted, to jury. 82 C. 66. If court concludes that transcript as certified by stenographer is incorrect, it has duty to correct it. 128 C. 289. Cited. 165 C. 152. Cited. 190 C. 219. Cited. 193 C. 439. Cited. 194 C. 233. Cited. 195 C. 496. Cited. 208 C. 156.
Cited. 36 CS 9.
Subsec. (a):
Cited. 193 C. 48. Cited. 199 C. 207. Cited. 216 C. 604. Cited. 231 C. 43.
Cited. 3 CA 148. Cited. 21 CA 235. Constitutional right to have voir dire proceedings recorded not established in Connecticut. 26 CA 125. Cited. 46 CA 269.
Cited. 43 CS 246.
Subsec. (b):
Cited. 43 CS 246.
Subsec. (c):
Cited. 237 C. 339.
Cited. 42 CS 10.
Subsec. (h):
Cited. 43 CS 246.
