I have a preliminary hearing coming up in a district judge’s office. I do not want to hire a court reporter so I am bringing my own tape recorder. The judge has a sign on the bench that there cannot be tape-recorded hearings without judicial permission. Is that correct?

In some counties, the judges do have signs on either the bench or the door that there can be no recording of preliminary hearings. Some counties, like Chester County, have an electronic system in place where every preliminary hearing is recorded. Whether the parties ask or not, it is recorded. Some lawyers, such as this writer, like to bring court reporters because things get taken down more accurately when one has an old-fashioned court reporter there, and if one does order the tape recording, it is still going to have to be transcribed at some point so why not start with a court reporter.

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