Court Reporter (Stenography and Voice Writer)

Court Reporter (Stenography and Voice Writer) Salary

$123,136.00 - $132,932.80 Annually

Location Any Sonoma County Court Facilities, CA

Job Type Full-time

Job Number 9270-20260116

Department Court Reporters

Opening Date 01/16/2026

Closing Date Continuous

Benefits Questions

Position Summary

Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma Invites applications for the position of:

Official Superior Court Reporter

Salary - flat rate:

• Court Reporter $59.20
• Court Reporter - Real Time/CART $60.96
• Court Reporter - National Certification $63.91

Hiring Bonus!

$15,000 upon hire; $5,000 upon successful completion of the probationary period; $5,000 after obtaining 2080 service hours; and $5,000 after obtaining an additional 2080 service hours, with the count starting upon the completion of service hours for payout #3.

Definition

Under general direction, an Official Superior Court Court Reporter reports and transcribes the verbatim record of official court proceedings, prepares and certifies transcripts at the direction of the Court, reads the record aloud in court in accordance with applicable Government Codes, Rules of Court, and Statutes. In addition, the Court Reporter Real Time 3% and 8% provides CART services to assist the hearing impaired in any ADA related cases or any other special cases as directed by the Court, and provides real-time as directed by the Court Executive Officer or his/her designee.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Positions in this class accurately record and produce the official verbatim record of all testimony and proceedings, including transcripts, in cases heard before the Superior Court and other agencies as directed. Reporters provide their own equipment and supplies; maintain their own records and tapes; and are paid separately for transcripts. Preparation of transcripts is accomplished outside of regular working hours. Those who are designated in a Real Time/CART role provide real-time services, as requested.

Typical Duties

• Attends sessions of the Superior Court as assigned and makes an official verbatim record of the proceedings by use of stenograph, or by use of voice writing equipment;
• Provides read back of all or portions of the record instantaneously, to judges, counsel, witnesses, and jurors during court proceedings, to judges in chambers, and to jurors during deliberations.
• Prepares a timely typewritten transcript of all or part of the court record upon proper request of the parties or order of the Court in the format prescribed by the Court and statute; and certifies the final transcript.
• Ensures that notes, files and records are safely stored and preserved as official records of the Court in accordance with the provisions of Government Code Section 69955, and other related statutes.
• The Court Reporter Real Time 3% and 8% provides CART and Real-Time services as directed, if applicable.
• Performs basic legal and office file research to ensure appropriate cases documentation of names, quotations, and similar information; maintains records and prepares basic reports related to work performed.
• Performs additional duties as directed by Court Management, including providing back-up reporter coverage for other judicial officers as directed.

Qualifications

All Court Reporter classifications must be certified by the State of California as a Certified Shorthand Reporter or Voice Writer.

For Court Reporter Real Time 3% must be able to pass the Courts real-time proficiency test and have capability to provide CART services. For Court Reporter Real Time 8% must be certified by the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) as a Certified Real time Reporter (CRR) and have capability to provide CART services.

Any combination of education, vocational training, or work experience which provides the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and abilities listed above.

Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge of:
• California statutes relating to court reporting services, CART and ADA;
• Legal, medical and other technical terminology utilized during the course of court proceedings;
• Correct English usage, grammar, spelling, vocabulary and punctuation;
• Current trends, practices and developments in court reporting, real time and CART technology, and
• Use, adjustment and minor maintenance of stenographic, voice writing, computer and similar equipment related to work.
• Ability to:
• Take verbatim dictation of courtroom and related proceedings, often of a technical nature, at a rate certified to perform the work;
• Promptly read back the record in open court and prepare transcripts utilizing CAT software in a timely fashion;
• Maintain accurate records and files of work performed;
• Adapt to changing court reporting technology;
• Provide real-time/CART services to assist the hearing-impaired or any other special cases as directed by the Court;
• Provide real-time reporting as directed by the Court Executive Officer or his/her designee;
• Maintain confidential information where legal standards so require, and
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted during the course of work, including judges, professional clerical staff, attorneys, and the general public.

Other Requirements

• A valid Class C California drivers license may be required to be eligible for consideration for certain assignments.
• Working Conditions/Physical Requirements: On a continuous basis, sit at a desk for long periods of time using specialized equipment; intermittently twist to reach equipment or supplies surrounding desk; perform simple grasping and fine manipulation; strength to lift files weighing up to 25 pounds; use telephone and computer keyboard on a daily basis.

Process to Apply

Please apply online at: http://sonoma.courts.ca.gov/info/jobs

APPLICATION SUBMISSIONS REQUIRE THE SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE BE COMPLETED

The selection procedure will consist of an application with supplemental questionnaire screening and a panel interview process.

Please list all employers and positions held within the last ten years in the work history section of the application and be as thorough as possible when responding to the supplemental questions. You may include history beyond ten years if related to the position.

Each application and supplemental questionnaire will be thoroughly evaluated for satisfaction of minimum qualifications and relevance of educational coursework, training, experience, and knowledge and abilities which relate to the position. Candidates possessing the most appropriate job-related qualifications will be invited to an interview.

The Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma is committed to creating a diverse environment and an open, inclusive culture free from bias. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Accommodation

Applicants with a disability who may require special assistance in any step of the selection process should advise Human Resources by emailing humanresources@sonomacourt.org upon submittal of application.

Background Investigation

Employment is contingent upon successful completion of a thorough background check, including verification of prior employment, and the provision of appropriate identifying documents to certify eligibility to work in the United States. Please be advised that finalist(s) must be fingerprinted for criminal record check purposes and that continued employment is contingent upon information received in the report. Convictions, depending upon the type, number and date, may be disqualifying. False statements or omission of facts regarding background or employment history may result in disqualification or dismissal.

Retirement Plan

Participation in the Sonoma County Employee's Retirement Association (SCERA), a 1937 Act Retirement Plan based on PEPRA. The 2025/26 mandatory contribution is 7.7% for employees and 29.9% for the Court. This is a defined benefit plan fully integrated with Social Security.

Vacation Leave

Regular, full-time employees in benefit unit 02 on paid status accrue vacation at a rate of 3.5 hours per pay period for the first two years (a little over 2 weeks and 1 day each year), with incremental increases to the accrual rate each year through year 5 and additional increases every 5 years thereafter, to year 20. Maximum accrual balance is 376 hours.

Sick Leave

12 days per year with no limit on accumulation.

Holidays

14 paid fixed holidays per year, plus 24 miscellaneous floating holiday hours, granted via compensatory time off.

Insurance

Family vision care, family Dental care as well as employee short and long term disability plans, are fully paid by the Court. Choice of three health plans: Health Net PPO, Health Net HMO, and a Kaiser Permanente HMO plan. The Courts contribution is currently 92% of the premium for the health plan selected.

Life Insurance

$50,000 Term Life Insurance is provided by the Court; additional life insurance may be purchased by the employee.

Deferred Compensation

Employees may contribute a portion of their salary into a 457 Deferred Compensation account (up to the IRS annual maximum).

Dependent and Medical Care Assistance Programs

Employees may participate in these tax exempt programs which allow certain personal expenses to be paid from pre-tax salary.

Employee Assistance Program

Please list any state licenses, court reporting certifications, and/or National Court Reporters Association certifications that you currently hold. Do not use abbreviations. Please include the respective license numbers and year in which you were licensed.

02

Do you possess a paperless writer equipped with two forms of memory backup?

03

Are you Realtime Capable? If so, describe the type of proceedings in which you have provided Realtime feed and how often you have provided Real-time Reporting in the last 12 months.

Required Question

Employer Superior Court of California, County of Sonoma Address 600 Administration Drive Santa Rosa, California, 95403 Phone 7075216789 Website http://sonoma.courts.ca.gov