I think it's also that court reporters are legal officers of the court. They have some legal training, and are highly regulated. They can be held responsible fo

I think it's also that court reporters are legal officers of the court. They have some legal training, and are highly regulated. They can be held responsible for what happens, in the same way as other court officers, like court clerks. Also, they witnessed what happened in the court room first hand, which is helpful. While you could certainly improve training for a team of outsourced stenographers, I think most people would feel safer knowing that the person generating the transcript is closely connected with the court, and not just a team of anonymous replaceable people in another country who didn't see the trial, and may only have access to portions of it. What is the real benefit? It's debatable whether any money would even be saved, paying several people in a developing country less than the salary of a single court reporter. And it introduces all sorts of new liabilities and complications. Personally, I can't see the cost savings really being worth it. The court reporter is hardly the most expensive part of a trial. I get nervous enough outsourcing my voicemail transcription to anonymous humans, so I can't imagine trial transcripts. The thing though that I think most people miss, is that this is far more than a technical problem. The courts are an instrument of civil society, and they need to be held to really strict standards. Legal procedures took centuries to evolve, so that people will accept them and time is not wasted re-inventing procedures. This is so much more important than any optimizations that could be introduced. And if it becomes too opaque and complicated, it loses any value because people need to be able to trust it. This over-optimization attitude can be a real problem for society. I am worried that silicon valley will try to "solve" this problem for us. It is bad enough that this "move fast and break things, bro" culture is going after our voting machines and our nuclear missile silos.