It's been a little while since I last updated you on how my court reporting internship hours are going, so let me me get you up to speed. What I'm working on right now for school is the 40 hours of writing time in court, depos, etc. that I have to get out of the way before I start my official internship.
A few weeks ago, I hauled my steno machine downtown and sat in on a jury trial. It ended up being a really interesting substantial battery case. If I were to continue working in this town after I get out of school, I suspect that would not be the last bar fight case I'd report. My writer's memory filled up at about the 2-hour mark, but I stayed and took more testimony down until I had three hours under my belt for the day. I eventually had to leave to move my car, but it was like trying to get up and turn the TV off when your favorite show is on.The judge in the case spoke clearly and slowly, so I could really keep up during the judge's charge to the jury and with his rulings.
The time after that, I went with another steno student to court for a barrage of motion hearings and pleadings. That day was really fast-paced, and at times it was hard to hear the parties because we were at the back of the courtroom and nobody was speaking into their microphones. I just wrote whatever I could and did my best. The cases were always changing, and it was tough to keep the names and party designations straight, so that was the challenge for the day. We also introduced ourselves to the court reporters and asked them some questions, and they seemed excited for us and wished us success.
Last week, I wrote another jury trial with the same judge. This time involved a domestic disturbance, and the courtroom was full to the brim. When I first got there, I sat in the media room behind two-way glass where they piped in the audio. People were going in and out the whole time, and once the judge forgot to turn the audio back on after a sidebar, so I moved out into the gallery until the lunch break. I thought I'd give the media room a try again after lunch, but it turned out that a bunch of comedians decided to call a play-by-play of the proceedings in there, so I went back out in the gallery at the earliest break in the proceedings.
Last but not least, I had my first CART experience during the career spotlight day for the judicial reporting program. Area high school students came to listen to what our profession was all about, and I took down what my teachers were saying as best I could, and my writing was projected on the big screen at the front of the classroom. I also demonstrated my virtual piano/steno machine abilities by playing Let it Be, Fur Elise, and Bad Romance by Lady Gaga for them, and they completed a code-breaking/steno worksheet that I created. When all was said and done, I felt like I had a big part in the success of the presentation that day.
