Court Recorders Page
The 12th District Court employs four Certified
Electronic Court Recorders. These Recorders maintain certification as required by the
State of Michigan.
JUDGE / RECORDER
Hon. Joseph S. Filip, P22920 / Beverly R. Walker, CER-2606
Hon. James M. Justin, P 15629 / Alicia Windmon, CER-7539
Hon. Michael Klaeren, P32163 / Shellie Sanders, CER
Hon. R. Darryl Mazur, P26616 / Jennifer G. Meade, CER-6130
When the District Court was created in 1969, the
Michigan Legislature approved the use an electronic record as opposed to stenotype,
shorthand or steno mask. The first electronic recording system used by the 12th District
Court was the Edison Voicewriter System. Today, the court uses FTR Gold
digital software for recording court proceedings. Highly sensitive microphones pick up
voice and sound, which are recorded to a computer hard drive. The
proceeding is then transferred to a CD-ROM disk. It is the responsibility of the court
recorder to monitor the proper functioning of the equipment to ensure a quality
record. In addition to monitoring the equipment, the recorder must keep comprehensive
notes of the court proceedings.
Only a small percentage of district court proceedings require
transcription (a written record). Preliminary examinations on felony cases and
appeals to the 4th Judicial Circuit Court are the most common proceedings that are
transcribed. Anything that has been recorded can be transcribed upon written request
to the court recorder. The cost for a transcript is $1.75 per original page
and $0.30 per copy page. These transcription fees are governed by Michigan statute
(MCL 600.2543).
In addition to monitoring equipment and logging court proceedings,
the court recorders perform real-time data entry of court cases on the court's case
management system (Judicial Information Systems - JIS). Real-time data entry has
proven to be an efficient method of producing notices and updating the case management
system which would otherwise have to be handled at a later time by the clerk's office.
In addition to courtroom duties and transcribing, each of the four Recorders serves as a
judicial secretary to their respective judge, performing a variety of clerical functions.
All Court Recorders employed by the 12th District Court and are members of MECRA (Michigan Electronic Court Reporters Association)