Welcome!

We are delighted to start this quarterly newsletter that will provide information, updates on rules and regulations, news, and tidbits for Georgia’s Court Professionals. We hope that you find the information here useful and that we can all use this newsletter to inform all court professionals and to encourage
others to join the ranks of the Court Professionals in the State of Georgia.
The primary focus of this newsletter will be Court Reporters and Court Interpreters. If you have news to share, want to recognize a colleague, or would like to provide information on an event, please let us know, and we will publish it on this newsletter. The Judicial Council/Administrative Office of the Courts thanks you for your service to Georgia’s Judiciary.

ALL COURT PROFESSIONALS.

The Judicial Council’s Ad Hoc Committee on Preventing Sexual Harassment in the Judiciary issued a report in December 2019 on sexual harassment which references independent contractors, such as some Court Reporters and Court Interpreters, which are covered by court sexual harassment policies. Said report can be found HERE.

Also, don’t forget to check the Georgia Courts Journal HERE.

BOARD OF COURT REPORTING.

Advisory Opinions 43 through 46

The Judicial Council of Georgia, through the Court Reporting Matters Committee, approved Advisory Opinions (AO) 43 through 46. Below is a description of each AO:

Advisory Opinion 43: Under recent Georgia appellate cases, a party who refused to participate in takedown can only be barred from ordering a copy of a transcript if the judge found on the record, at the start of the hearing, that the party “expressly refused” to participate in takedown by “direct and appropriate language.” If the judge did not make this ruling, the party may order the transcript.

Advisory Opinion 44: Under current Georgia law, court reporters are not actually required to use a raised/crimped seal, but may use a flat ink-stamped seal.

Advisory Opinion 45: This AO outlines the ethical duties of court reporters inside and outside the courtroom, and reminds court reporters that they are bound by the fee schedule when taking down and transcribing court proceedings regardless of whether they are hired by the court or by a party.

Advisory Opinion 46: Court reporters may not submit more than one bill for an original transcript where multiple codefendants’ cases are handled at one hearing, regardless of whether they are indicted separately. One hearing/trial generates one original transcript only.
You can find all published AOs on the Board of Court Reporting’s website.

What’s Coming Up?

Georgia Court Reporting Association Spring Seminar.
GCRA will hold its tech seminar on March 28-29, 2020, in Athens. Registration will commence on January 25. For more information, please visit the GCRA website, or contact them directly.

Reminders.

Please remember to submit any proof of Continuing Education directly to your GCR account. We cannot accept your submission if you mail or e-mail your requests. Please remember that submissions for requests for CE are due no later than 30 days after completion of the course. Staff cannot
accept any submissions that are older than 30 days. For more information, please consult the CE Manual, part II, section C, subsection 1.

Also, please remember to submit any questions directly related to your profession or a particular case on our new Court Professionals Request. We set up this form to reply to your queries faster.

Renewal season for Court Reporters starts on February 1 and ends on April 1. Please remember to visit your GCR account, update your contact information, and submit any forms required.

Learning Essentials About Professionalism (LEAP) will take place on September 25, 2020, at Georgia Tech. Staff will send more information to those required to attend and the location of the same.

Employment Opportunity.

DeKalb County Superior Court is looking for a Court Reporter for Judge Tangela Barrie. To learn more about requirements and to apply, please read the posting HERE.
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We thank you for your service to the State of Georgia, please don’t forget to send us any news or accomplishments of your fellow Court Reporters to our GCR e-mail address.

COMMISSION ON INTERPRETERS.

The Commission on Interpreters is busy at work. The Commission has been working tirelessly to update our rules and regulations that will provide more resources for interpreters and the courts. Please don’t forget to visit the Commission’s website for more information. Staff will keep all interpreters informed regarding when the rules are published and related information.

THE MORE YOU KNOW:

Please remember that the Commission published a bench card for the courts to use when working with persons with Limited English Proficiency, as well as another bench card for the courts to use when working with deaf or hard of hearing persons. Please make sure you review and print these as a resource for yourselves and learn more about the processes that the Commission
suggests to the different types of courts when using the services of a Court Interpreter.

Reminders.
Staff has expanded the resources available for Court Interpreters to use not only to study for the written and oral exams, but also for those interpreters looking for resources to expand their knowledge of their profession and their skills.

Also, please remember to submit any questions directly related to your profession or a particular case on our new Court Professionals Request. We set up this form to reply to your queries faster.

2020 is a busy year for candidate interpreters and seasoned interpreters alike! Please don’t forget to visit our Calendar of Events for 2020. Among some of the changes to this year’s calendar, we can see:

  • Four oral certification exams instead of three from 2019 and two from years prior.
  • Written tests will take place two weeks after the orientation workshop. This allows candidate interpreters to study and sharpen their English skills to increase their passage rates.
  • We are actively informing all interpreters of local and national conferences, training, and workshops. Stay tuned for more information.

Orientation Workshop.

The Commission on Interpreters of the Supreme Court of Georgia held its first Orientation Workshop for candidate interpreters on January 10-11 at Georgia Tech. We had a full house. For a full list of the Commission’s 2020 schedule, please click here. A big thank you to our instructors Carola
Lehmacher-Richez, Maria Ceballos-Wallis, and Gabriel Rueda.

What’s Coming Up?

Atlanta Association of Interpreters and Translators (AAIT).
AAIT will hold its 2020 annual conference on March 28. For more information and registration, please visit their website or contact them directly.

National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators (NAJIT).
NAJIT will hold its 41st annual conference in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, on June 5-7, 2020. For more information and registration, please visit their website or contact them directly.
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We thank you for your service to the sState of Georgia, please don’t forget to send us any news or accomplishments of your fellow court interpreters to our GCR e-mail address. We’d also love to advertise any trainings, workshops, and seminars. Please don’t forget to keep us in the loop.

Contact us:
Georgia Courts Registrar.
404.463.3808
GCR@GeorgiaCourts.gov