Effective September 14, 2020 the Kern County Superior Court’s Court Reporter Availability Policy is modified as follows:

  • For all Kern County Court locations, Court Reporters are provided for Felony Criminal, Juvenile Matters, Limited Family Law Matters for Abandonment, Adoption, Contempt, and Domestic Violence Proceedings, and Limited Probate Matters. There is also a reporter assigned to the monthly Superior Court-Appeals Court session held the first Friday of every month in the Bakersfield Metropolitan Division of the Court. Due to budget restraints, for all Kern County Court locations, Court Reporters are not provided for Limited Civil, Civil, Most Probate Matters, Small Claims, Misdemeanor, Traffic Court, and Family Law Matters not specified above.
  • For any matter in which the Court does not provide a Court Reporter, a party may arrange for a Certified Shorthand Reporter to serve as an official pro tempore reporter in accordance with the Kern County Superior Court Official Reporter Pro Tempore Policy [CtSup-2013-1A].  Payment for court reporting services for proceedings at which the court no longer provides such services is the responsibility of the party arranging for the court reporter.
  • In unlimited civil proceedings, parties who have received a fee waiver pursuant to California Rules of Court rule 3.55(6) may timely request an official court reporter pursuant to California Rules of Court rule 2.956(c)(2) at least 10 calendar days prior to the hearing or trial using local court form CIV-0025.

Note: The court is not obligated to provide court reporter transcripts free of charge to a party who has been granted a waiver of court fees and costs. (See Jameson v. Desta (2018) 5 Cal.5th 594, 623-625.) Assistance may be available through the Transcript Reimbursement Fund. Further information is available on the California Court Reporters Board’s website at https://www.courtreportersboard.ca.gov/consumers/index.shtml. There are limited funds available for fee waivers under the program.

Additional information regarding the court’s policy and requirements for requesting a court reporter will be available on the Court’s website on  September 1, 2020.

View the full notice here.

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