A group of homeschoolers got an inside look at digital court reporting services during a recent courthouse tour, where Supervisor La Kita O’Donnell showed them how detailed records of in-progress court proceedings are made in real time. La Kita introduced them to CourtSmart, the recording program used by the 17th Judicial Circuit, and allowed them to listen to a playback of a DUI trial. They also observed digital court reporters in action, asked questions, and even peeked into active courtrooms through CourtSmart’s live-streaming video.

The 17th Judicial Circuit employs about 30 digital court reporters who actively tag and monitor proceedings at the Main Courthouse, as well as the South Regional Courthouse in Hollywood, the North Regional Courthouse in Deerfield Beach, and the West Regional Courthouse in Plantation. It’s an impressive operation.

A special thank you to La Kita for taking so much time to show these students how modern court reporting works.