602.6603. Court reporters.
1.
a. The chief judge of a judicial district or the chief judge’s designee shall have the authority to supervise, schedule, and assign duties to all court reporters in the judicial district.
b. Notwithstanding paragraph “a”, a judge presiding over a proceeding that must be reported shall have the authority to supervise the work of a court reporter while the court reporter is actively engaged in reporting that proceeding.
c. The chief judge of a judicial district may delegate the authority set forth in paragraph “a” to the district court administrator or the district court administrator’s designee.
2. The judges of a judicial district shall appoint a court reporter, subject to approval of the chief judge of the judicial district or the chief judge’s designee. A court reporter may be assigned to a district judge or the district associate judge subject to subsection 1. A court reporter shall, upon the request of a party in a civil or criminal case, report the evidence and proceedings in the case, and perform all duties as provided by law.
3. If a regularly appointed court reporter becomes disabled, or if a vacancy occurs in a regularly appointed court reporter position, the chief judge or the chief judge’s designee may appoint a competent, uncertified shorthand reporter for a period of time of up to one year, upon verification by the chief judge that a diligent but unsuccessful search has been conducted to appoint a certified shorthand reporter to the position and, in a disability case, that the regularly appointed court reporter is disabled. An uncertified shorthand reporter shall not be reappointed to the position unless the reporter becomes a certified shorthand reporter within the period of appointment under this subsection.
4. Except as provided in subsection 3, a person shall not be appointed to the position of court reporter of the district court unless the person has been certified as a shorthand reporter by the board of examiners under article 3.
5. Each court reporter shall take an oath faithfully to perform the duties of office, which shall be filed in the office of the clerk of district court.
6. A court reporter may be removed for cause with due process by the judges making the appointment, subject to the approval of the chief judge or the chief judge’s designee.
7. If a judge dies, resigns, retires, is removed from office, becomes disabled, or fails to be retained in office and the judicial vacancy is eligible to be filled, the court reporter appointed by the judge shall serve as a court reporter, as directed by the chief judge or the chief judge’s designee.
83 Acts, ch 186, §7603, 10201; 85 Acts, ch 197, §15, 16; 89 Acts, ch 110, §1; 2000 Acts, ch 1057, §12; 2021 Acts, ch 66, §2; 2025 Acts, ch 101, §19 Section amended
