Shorthand writing systems have been known for hundreds of years, created to record the spoken word verbatim and use the transcript in a formal setting. Even with the advent of modern speech-to-text and AI technology, stenography continues to be a trusted tool for court reporting, relied upon by lawyers and judges. Court stenographers play an essential role in a courtroom, including remote hearings, depositions, and virtual trials. Keep reading to learn more about shorthand writing, the purpose of stenography in the modern court process, the role of the court stenographers, and how Steno helps court reporters conduct their duties in the remote court space. Today, stenographers no longer rely on handwriting. Instead, they use stenotype machines, known as stenography, first invented by Miles Bartholomew back in 1877. Although modern stenography are more advanced than their first versions, they use the same principle of typing syllables instead of letters, decreasing the number of strokes on the keyboard and increasing the speed of typing by several times. The invention of stenography has greatly improved the accuracy of court reporting. Thanks to stenography, court reporters can type an accurate transcript of court proceedings with or above the speed of normal speech. This progress helps stenography remain a popular court reporting practice for hearings, depositions, and other proceedings. The Role of a Court Stenographer The participation of a skilled court stenographer, also called a court reporter, is crucial for any court proceedings. Today, court stenographers still bring unmatched accuracy to the table in preparing exact transcripts of the court cases. Although modern technology supports digital speech recording, inaudible court recordings are not uncommon. Missing vital words or phrases in a testimony due to microphone or recording errors can massively impact a case. Live court reporters help ensure all details of a court proceeding are captured in the transcript by following discussions in real time and asking for statement clarification or repetition if words are missed.