Judges are the leaders of the court and the most distinguished figure within the judicial system. Judges do not make law; they rather interpret existing law made by the legislature. Most judges get their start as attorneys, work at the state level and, if they’re lucky, reach the Federal courts. Their influence on law is substantial and their decisions decide how laws work and how they are enforced. Here are 10 unforgettable judges whose decisions made a difference in our nation’s history:

• John Marshall
  John Marshall (1755-1835) was the fourth Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court and arguably one of the most influential judges to the American legal system. Marshall is remembered for his establishment of judicial review, which gave courts the right to strike down laws that violate the Constitution. The Marshall Court paved the way for several decisions relating to federalism and supremacy of federal law over state law.



• Benjamin N. Cardozo
  Benjamin N. Cardozo (1870-1938) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1932 to 1938 and was nominated by President Hoover. Cardozo was remembered for his contributions to American common law and handing down often liberal opinions that stressed the 10th Amendment. Many of Cardozo’s landmark decisions were made when he was on the New York Court of Appeals, in which he focused on tort and contract rulings. He also made notable contributions to legal academia, such as giving the Storrs Lectures at Yale University, helping found the American Law Institute and writing several books that became standard literature within the legal profession.



• Warren E. Burger
  Warren E. Burger (1907-1995) was a Chief Justice of the United States, who was nominated by President Nixon, and was most notably remembered for his controversial decisions on moral issues like abortion, capital punishment, gay marriage and school desegregation. Burger helped progress the juridical system when he wrote opinions that legally defined obscenity, forced President Nixon to release the Watergate tapes and helped end school segregation by implementing busing of students.



• William Rehnquist
  William Rehnquist (1924-2005) served as Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court from 1986 to 2005 and was nominated by President Reagan. Known for his conservative views, Rehnquist favored the idea of federalism that stressed the Tenth Amendment’s reservation of states’ powers and was a supporter of state-sanctioned prayer in public schools and capital punishment. As Chief Justice, Rehnquist made changes to the justices’ conferences in order to keep hearings on track and give even talking time. In 1988, Rehnquist lobbied Congress to give the Court control of its own docket, which limited mandatory appeals and certiorari grants.



• Richard Posner
  Richard Posner (1939 – ) is currently a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago. Since his 1981 commission to this court, Posner has been an influential figure in the law and economics movement with his progressive and controversial views concerning antitrust policy changes, opposition to the right of privacy and favoring efficient breach of contracts. In addition to his contributions to academia as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School, Posner is also a well accomplished legal writer with nearly 40 published books and articles.



• William J. Brennan, Jr.
  William J. Brennan, Jr., (1906-1997) served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1956 to 1990 and was nominated by President Eisenhower. Brennan was an influential member of the Court and a leader for the liberal wing, specifically for his progressive views against the death penalty, support for abortion rights and expansion of individual and free speech rights. Brennan played a major role in America’s most groundbreaking and controversial cases, such as New York Times Co. v. Sullivan, Roe v. Wade, Roth v. United States and many others. Brennan’s undying support for individual rights and compelling arguments had the power to sway even the most conservative decisions and bargain for votes.



• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
  Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., (1841-1935) was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 1902 to 1932 and was nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt. Holmes was remembered as one of the most influential common law judges, who supported economic regulation, expansion of freedom of speech under the First Amendment and the legal realism movement. As the oldest justice in the history of the Supreme Court, Holmes played a leading role in many landmark cases, such as Schenck v. United States, in which the Court decided that the First Amendment did not protect the right to free speech against the draft during World War I, and Holmes’ ever-quotable “clear and present danger” majority opinion was born.



• Roger J. Traynor
  Roger J. Traynor (1900-1983) was the 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of California from 1964 to 1970, after serving 24 years as the Associate Justice of the Court. During his 30-year career on the California Supreme Court, Traynor influenced demographic, social and governmental growth within his state and throughout the nation. Traynor made history during the Perez v. Sharp case for being the first state supreme court to strike down a stature prohibiting miscegenation, in addition to his 1952 opinion that abolished the defense of recrimination for divorce, and his creation of strict liability in product liability cases. Traynor pushed the boundaries of judicial power, while resolving many social and public policy issues.



• Sandra Day O’Connor
  Sandra Day O’Connor (1930 – ) made history when she became the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006 and was appointed by President Reagan. O’Connor was known as the Court’s leading moderate and was often the swing vote for many cases. With this powerful role, O’Connor became the deciding vote for many landmark cases, such as Lawrence v. Texas, Webster v. Reproductive Health Services and United States v. Lopez, in which she shared both majority and dissenting opinions. O’Connor retired from the Court in 2006, but will be remembered for her contributions to the judicial system and paving the way for future women Supreme Court justices.



• Louis Brandeis
  Louis Brandeis (1856-1941) was an Associate Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1916 to 1939 and was nominated by President Wilson. While working as a lawyer in Boston, Brandeis developed the “right to privacy” concept in a Harvard Law Review and wrote a book called, Other People’s Money that spoke against monopolies, public corruption, mass consumerism and limiting the power or these large corporations. When Brandeis became a member of the Supreme Court, he took these progressive and controversial beliefs to the high court and defended freedom of speech, the right to privacy in Gilbert v. Minnesota, Whitney v. California and Olmstead v. United States, to name a few.

Over the last 200 years, the Supreme Court has made decisions that ended segregation, secured women’s rights and protected civil liberties that we cherish still today. Out of the hundreds of landmark cases heard every year, there are few cases that inspire, teach and define our nation’s history more than these 10:

• Marbury v. Madison
  (1803)
  Marbury v. Madison is one of the most well-known and studied Supreme Court cases in American history. This Court decision established judicial review, which allows the judicial branch to review and nullify the actions of the legislative and executive branches, therefore, exercising the separation of powers among the three branches of government. Marbury v. Madison challenged this idea, when President John Adams federally appointed William Marbury as the Justice of Peace at the end of his presidential term, but his Secretary of State failed to deliver the documents. When Thomas Jefferson became president, he told his Secretary of State, James Madison, not to deliver Marbury’s commission because he didn’t want members of the opposing political party to take office. Marbury sued Madison and the case went to the Supreme Court, in which Chief Justice John Marshall made the Judiciary Act of 1789 unconstitutional, because it gave the Supreme Court authority that was denied within the Constitution. This was the first time the Supreme Court struck down a law because it was deemed unconstitutional.
• McCulloch v. Maryland
  (1819)
  McCulloch v. Maryland established that sovereignty remains in the United States and not within the individual states. This historic Supreme Court decision ruled that Congress had the right, as implied in the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution, to create the Second Bank of the United States, but the state of Maryland did not have the power to tax the bank in an effort to stop operation. Chief Justice John Marshall presided over the case, which also granted Congress the ability to pass laws that would execute its enumerated powers, such as regulate interstate commerce, collect taxes and borrow money.
• Roe v. Wade
  (1973)
  Roe v. Wade was the landmark Supreme Court case that discussed the issue of abortion. Jane Roe, a single pregnant woman, filed a class action lawsuit against Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade, in order to challenge the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws which made aborting a fetus a felony, unless the woman’s health was at risk. The Court upheld the constitutional right to privacy and a woman’s decision to have an abortion. The case also stated that it is the right of states to regulate abortions, based on protecting prenatal life and the mother’s health. State regulation is determined by the mother’s current trimester of pregnancy. Roe v. Wade is arguably the most controversial Supreme Court decision in history and is constantly fought to be overturned.
• Brown v. Board of Education
  (1954)
  Brown v. Board of Education was a monumental case for the civil rights movement and attaining racial equality. During the 1950s, a large amount of schools were segregated by race. This was the case in Topeka, Kansas, where Linda Brown, her sister and other black students were denied access to nearby segregated white schools. The Topeka NAACP filed a case on the behalf of a group of 13 parents and 20 children who believed their Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated by the segregated school system. This class action suit was named after one of the plaintiffs, Oliver Brown. The case was taken to the Federal district court, but segregation was upheld because the court claimed all white and non-white students had similar buildings, transportation, curricula and accessibility. The case reached the Supreme Court and the Browns insisted that segregated school will never be equal. The Court decided that school segregation was unconstitutional because it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Gideon v. Wainwright
  (1961)
  The right to have an attorney appointed to you, in the event that you cannot afford one, was not always a constitutional right. In the Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright, a Florida man, Clarence Earl Gideon, was arrested after being spotted near a burglary scene and was unable to afford a lawyer to represent him in court. When he asked a Florida Circuit Court judge to appoint a lawyer for him, he was denied and forced to represent himself. Gideon did not defend himself in court, was found guilty and sentenced to a Florida state prison. Gideon pleaded for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear his case, which it agreed to and unanimously agreed that Gideon’s rights were violated because the Sixth Amendment required state courts to appoint lawyers for defendants who cannot afford counsel.
• Miranda v. Arizona
  (1966)
  You may know or have heard the following sentences: “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed to you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?” These are the Miranda rights that every police office must give suspects during their arrest. Miranda v. Arizona was the Supreme Court case that made these rights a customary practice among U.S. police force. The case came about because of Ernesto Miranda, who was arrested for rape and kidnapping in Phoenix, but was not informed by police of his Fifth or Sixth Amendment rights against self-incrimination or the assistance of a lawyer. The Supreme Court decided that the Arizona police did not follow the designated steps to inform Miranda that he has the right to remain silent and be appointed a lawyer if he cannot afford one.
• Gibbons v. Ogden
  (1824)
  The Supreme Court case, Gibbons v. Ogden, determined that the federal government has sole power over interstate commerce. The case originated because of a state law that gave a New York steamship company a monopoly by allowing them to use the state’s waterways for business. Aaron Ogden was one of the business investors, who held a license under the monopoly, allowing him to access these waters. Another steamship trader, Thomas Gibbons, planned to use the same waterways to do his business, but was denied access despite having a federal coasting license that had been issued by Congress. Gibbons sued Ogden and the case went to the Supreme Court, which decided the federal commerce clause took precedence over the state law.
• Dred Scott v. Sandford
  (1857)
  Dred Scott v. Sandford, was an important case in the fight for equality and abolishment of slavery. The Supreme Court case involved Dred Scott, a slave who was purchased in Missouri and brought to Illinois, which was a free, non-slave state. Scott moved with his owners to Minnesota, where slavery had been prohibited, and back to Missouri. After his owner died, Scott sued the widow and claimed he was no longer a slave because he was freed while living in a non-slave state. The Supreme Court decided that Scott was not a citizen of the state and blacks cannot become citizens, nor do slaves become free when taken into free states.
• Plessy v. Ferguson
  (1896)
  The Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson, originated because of a Louisiana statute, called the Separate Car Act that forced all rail companies in Louisiana to provide separate but equal accommodations for white and non-white passengers. Violation of the car act would result in a fine of $25 or 20 days in jail. In 1892, passenger Homer Plessy boarded a car that was designated for white passengers only. Although Plessy was only one-eighth black, he was told to move to the colored car, and when he refused in an act of planned disobedience, he was arrested and jailed. Plessy argued in state court that the East Louisiana Railroad denied him of his Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. Judge John Howard Ferguson presided over the case and ruled that Louisiana was right to regulate railroad companies within the state boundaries. Plessy took his case to the Supreme Court, which decided that racial segregation is constitutional under the separate but equal doctrine.
• Texas v. Johnson
  (1989)
  The Supreme Court case Texas v. Johnson extended the First Amendment rights to protect symbolic speech. During a political demonstration for the Republican National Convention in Texas, Gregory Lee Johnson set the American flag on fire. No one was injured or in immediate danger by his demonstration, but many witnesses were offended and Johnson was charged and convicted for desecration of a venerated object. The Supreme Court overruled the Texas Penal Code violation, and decided Johnson’s demonstration was a form of symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment.

Tattoos are a great form of art, a great way to display your feelings for someone, and in many cases very emotional to those who have them. However, if you are going to get one, make sure the person giving you the Tattoo knows how to spell, or at least has a dictionary. Here are 20 photos where that was not the case.

And he’ll juge your spelling
Tattooed: “Only God Will Juge Me”
Should have been: “Only God Will Judge Me”
—

Your alive?
Tattooed: “You Bleed Just To Know Your Alive”
Should have been: “You Bleed Just To Know You’re Alive”
—

Instead of Chi-Town as the man requested, he got “Chi-Tonw”.
Tattooed: “Chi-tonw”
Should have been: “Chi-town”
—

Obviously he meant the English system?
Tattooed: “Fuck the Systsem”
Should have been: “Fuck the System”
—

Once again, lets just leave that “E” out of the English system.
Tattooed: “I’M AWSOME”
Should have been: “I’M AWESOME”
—

Tomarrow never knows how to spell tomorrow right
Tattooed: “TOMARROW NEVER KNOWS”
Should have been: “TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS”
—

Can you spot the three misspellings?

ANSWER: freinds, straind, surley
Should have been: “friends, strained, surely”
—

Not sure who everyone elese is…
Tattooed: “EVERYONE ELESE DOES”
Should have been: “EVERYONE ELSE DOES”
—

Don’t know if this is Comedy or… Tradgey
Tattooed: “TRADGEY”
Should have been: “TRAGEDY”
—

To bad you don’t own a dictionary
Tattooed: “To young to die, To fast to live”
Should have been: “Too young to die, Too fast to live”
—

It’s not only a tradgedy, it’s a total disaster.
Tattooed: “Beautiful Tradgedy”
Should have been: “Beautiful Tragedy”
—

Probably not the brightest student from Clemson University!
Tattooed: “Clemons University”
Should have been: “Clemson University”
—

“Vivere Senza Rimipianti” loosely translates “To live without regrets” in Italian. The phrase is tattooed on Hayden Panettiere’s side. However, “Rimipianti” is misspelled. Ouch.
Tattooed: “rimipianti”
Should have been: “rimpianti”
—

Unfortunately, “imermanence” is the same as “impermanence”… and yes, in this case it will be forever… on your back.
Tattooed: “imermanence”
Should have been: “impermanence”
—

This tattoo will give him the strenght and nisdom not to get another bad tattoo.
Tattooed: “strenght” and “nisdom”
Should have been: “strength” and “wisdom”
—

He really loves summmer…
Tattooed: “summmer”
Should have been: “summer”
—

Not sure what tomorow is…
Tattooed: “tomorow”
Should have been: “tomorrow”
—

Your welcome to attend an English class
Tattooed: “Your as welcome as the flowers in May”
Should have been: ”You’re as welcome as the flowers in May”
—

Where are your going?
Tattooed: “your”
Should have been: “you’re”
—

In Loviing Memony?
Tattooed: “Memony”
Should have been: “Memory”
—

Money. Money. Money. Does it ever seem that our lives revolve around money? If we are not spending it we are trying to figure out how to save it. One great way to save a bundle is on our groceries. We all have to eat so we might as well save a buck while we’re at it, right? Check out these popular money saving blogs that uncover the best places to find coupons and other ways to get FREE stuff.

1. Dealseekingmom.com This blogger does all of the work for you! She finds free samples and gives you the link. You get a preview of what coupons to look for in the next weekends’ coupon section. There were even free codes for renting a movie from Redbox.
2. Thefrugalfind.com Every day a new bargain is listed on this blog. This blogger explains how to get the most out of the point system at CVS as well as printable coupons for local stores such as Michaels. She also has coupons for free food from Taco Bell. Check it out.
3. Blogs.sltrib.com What’s the difference between being cheap and being frugal? This blogger is known as a “Cheap Chick”. The blog is tied to The Salt Lake Tribune and it gives money saving tips on activities such as skiing lessons or snowshoeing lessons.
4. Savingcentswithsense.net Get cheap photo printing information and other website links saving you tons of money. Even up to date free meals at area stores like IKEA.
5. Couponkatie.com Printable coupons abound on this blog. She even keeps you updated on new money saving technology like digital coupons for Krogers Food. This is a great site to get coupons without evening buying a newspaper.
6. Moneysavingmadness.com Numerous free samples by mail are available on this site as well as super saving sales that are available for only a limited time. Like the others this site has coupons for area attractions and restaurants.
7. Southernsavers.com Comparing how you did with your savings versus others and learning from others experiences is the key point of this blog. If you have questions about how someone saved 50% on their grocery bill you can ask them.
8. Commonsensewithmoney.com Stores are trying to get more business in this tough economy, but it’s hard to keep track of different deals that each store is running. This blog has compiled lists and links to help you make the most of these store deals.
9. Mojosavings.com Sign up for this blog and get a list of upcoming coupons from the paper and a list of available rebates. There are also many free offers as well as printable coupons.
10. Dealspl.us Deals Plus is different than the other blogs because it keeps a running list of deals for buying sale items online and tells you how many hours you have left to take advantage of those deals. There are the usual suspects of coupons and freebies on this blog as well, but the sale items made this a stand out site.

With many moms having to work, either as a full time mom, working from home or outside of the home, it’s essential to share stories, recopies and advice, to help each other out so that each mom may have the best information to raise a great family. Here are 20 sites that will help you do just that.

These blogs cover everything from work, life, to relationships. They are put out by working mom’s to help other working mom’s in their daily life.

1. Money Saving Mom – Follow along with Crystal, a wife and mother to three, as she show’s you how to save money, shop smart, and get all that you can for your dollar.



2. Life as Mom – “Let’s face it. Unless you’ve got a nanny, a housekeeper, a chauffeur, and a chef, it’s hard to manage a home and family–and still keep a smile on your face. Join me as I try to figure it out.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.



3. Motherthoughts – Adena is a Jewish mother, feminist, writer, and researcher, that wanted a place to share her thoughts. She hopes that you will find them not only interesting, but helpful in your world as a mother.



4. 5 Minutes for Mom – is there to provide an essential, go-to site for moms. This site not only entertains you but will inform you on many issues facing mom’s today. Brought to you by identical twins, Janice and Susan, they wanted a place to share stories, communicate, inform and help others.



5. Working Mother Blog – This is a blog about working mom’s, whether you are a stay at home mom or work from home mom, or have a job; every mom feels many of the same pressures. This mom just started her own business and she’s trying to juggle the business and family.



6. Blonde Mom Blog – is brought to you by a soccer mom with two beautiful little girls, a husband, two dogs and a fish. Working as a social media coordinator, while her husband deals with a computer services business, they are working together to build a life and a family.



7. The Working Mom – Talk about a busy mom, this part time ophthalmologist, part time micro business owner, part time graduate student and FULL TIME MOM is struggling to find balance in the confusing world of multitasking.



8. Crazy Working Mom – This wife and mother from Arkansas, brings you a fun and information filled blog. With post about Christmas stocking stuffers to movie reviews, you will find something here that will make you smile.



9. Working Mom’s Blog – A blog for working mom’s by working moms. This is a community, who works together and discusses the art of juggling marriage, kids and work.



10. Work It, Mom! – Is here to help you by talking about issues affecting working moms and talking about what’s happening in the “Work It, Mom!” community. Work It, Mom! Is brought to you by Nataly, a wife and mother trying to juggle her time.

One of the many things that working mothers find hard, is finding time to cook good meals, even though most mothers believe that sitting down together for a meal is the best way to spend some quality family time together. Many of these blogs will help you find ways to be creative in your preparation, cooking, and time scheduling to be able to ensure your family has this time together.

11. Role Mommy.com – This site, managed by Beth, helps you keep up with your kids, while keeping up with your own goals and dreams. Through this online community, you will stay informed through reviews, essays, and podcast on everything you need to know, to keep your goals alive.



12. Busy Mom’s Journal – This is a great site about a mother who is an exercise fanatic, loves to eat, and has a teenage daughter. She has completed eight marathons, and five triathlons. In this blog you will find post like “another lesson from my daughter” to “a stressful, emotional quotient-building morning”.



13. Busy Mom’s Blog – This site, brought to you by Anna, is about a mother of two toddlers going through their daily life. You will find healthy recipes, craft ideas, disciplining techniques and all sorts of plays and tricks for entertaining the kids.



14. BusyMom.net – Follow, converse and share with this mom of 3 kids. On this site you will find post ranging from “Happy Cyber Monday Eve” to “25 Things You Did Not Want To Know”.



15. Mommy’s Kitchen – Tina, a stay at home mother of three, says “the kitchen is the room in my house that I feel most comfortable in”. She brings you this site to share recipes, stores and advice about cooking and keeping your family happy.



16. A Busy Mom of Two – is brought to you by a mom who works full-time outside of the home, while raising two kids and married. She started this blog to share her stories, her money saving adventures, and share some recopies.



17. Busy Moms Recipe – is an inspirational site featuring quick and easy-to-prepare recipes for today’s busy families. Along with the recipes, we also feature the “best of the web” selections, inspirational messages, freebies, cooking tips, contests, and more.



18. Make – Ahead Meals for Busy Moms – How many times have you had to try and create a quick meal? This site, by Jane Doiron, will help you with simple recipes, how to prepare ahead of time, how and what to freeze and how to schedule you meals.



19. Busy mom’s blog for easy and chic knits – Deniss brings you the busy mom’s blog for easy and chic knits. This blog covers a ton of categories from great recipes, fashion, eBay, to knitted bags. If you are looking for something, this is the place to start.



20. busy mom – Brought to you by Emily, a mom raising two kids, one cute little boy and one husband. She doesn’t think of Busy Mom as a blog, but as an informational website with a personal twist! She strives to include informational articles that a Busy Mom of any age would find useful, as well as great Busy Mom tested recipes and of course, a ton of the best giveaways!

By Dana Prince

If you are currently weighing the pros and cons of going back to school so that you can attain the skills and knowledge necessary to start a new career in the area of court reporting, schools out there can prepare you for a career in this potentially lucrative career field. It could be very worthwhile for you to keep weighing the pros and cons while researching your educational options. 

There are many court reporter program offerings available to those fresh out of high school (you must be at least aged 18 or older to be a licensed court reporter in the USA) and it is also a popular career choice for mature students as well. Beyond court reporting credentials, many who choose this vocation also choose to become notary publics as well. An interest in the legal field as well as strong English and technical skills are necessary for this vocation. 

Getting a great job without a formal education is increasingly difficult. In many areas, the only individuals that are not licensed are those who are grandfathered in because they’ve been doing the job they’re doing for many years. Getting a formal education in court reporting isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity in most places. 

In terms of what can be learned in court reporter schools, not only can you learn skills to help you build speed and accuracy on stenography school equipment, but you can also learn how to parlay those court reporter skills into other areas as well. Beyond the obvious career choice of working in a court of law, you could use these skills in positions in government offices as well as the corporate world and even in the world of television, too. 

Closed captioning skills, known as captioning, particularly of live television broadcasts requires the skills of a court room reporter who can quickly work to bring information on an “as it happens” basis to those who are hearing impaired.   Captioning is one of the fastest growing segments of this vocation due to the increasing technology. It’s one of the most lucrative options and presents great options for those who want to telecommute from home, rather than work in an office or a court room. 

Areas that are taught in court reporting schools could include: 

• Using stenography equipment
• Courtroom procedures
• Legal terminology
• Voice writer / steno mask skills
• Transcribing live events
• Transcribing taped events
• Legal videography
• Practicing for building speed and ensuring accuracy
• Building on English and grammatical skills
• Captioning, for those who choose closed captioning careers rather than courtroom work
• And more 

Is it Expensive to go to Court Reporting School? 

Tuition fees for court reporting school will vary, depending on many factors. There are two year and four year programs and there are varying fees depending on where the school is located as well as what sort of training you’re taking. Any school that has a website will send you a free quotation for tuition as well as provide you with in depth details about their offering. 

Worried you’ll have to save up for years to afford court reporting school? You may qualify for loans and grants to help you pay for this education, which will help you get a job that’s both lucrative and interesting.  Court reporting schools often offer flexible learning schedules for those who can’t attend school full-time and will often provide helpful assistance to students that need help with planning for tuition, with extra assistance, with accelerated learning programs, and for job placement as well. 

Learning is Important!  

After your education is complete and you’re employed as a court reporter, learning isn’t over. You’ll be required to continue your education on a regular basis in order to maintain your credentials. Continuing education credits, also known as CEU’s in the court reporting field can be acquired through several methods, such as through workshops, seminars, and courses. Once you’ve become trained, you’ll probably want to join a court reporter’s association where you live. This will enable you to stay up to date on the field as well as maintain your credentials. 

The world of court reporting is expanding as technology advances so it’s important for those in this profession to consider continuing education so that they continue to build marketable skills. Learning is definitely powerful and it helps you find a career that you find interesting as well as lucrative. If you’re interesting in the world of law, have exceptional communication and concentration skills, and love to work in a fast-paced environment, court reporting is a career that might be perfect for you.

By Dana Prince

Court reporter school teaches a lot of skills that allow people to become court reporters. The profession of court reporting isn’t strictly limited to the courtroom though. And, it can be a very lucrative career option. 

What do Court Reporters Do? 

Court reporters who work in courtrooms create legal records of what happens in that courtroom. They may also be required to read back testimony at any time during the trial or proceedings. The reports are used during jury deliberation and they will be used when there are appeals as well. 

During recording, the court reporter can use various machines to record what’s happening. One option is the stenography machine, which they use to make a record of sounds. The shorthand transcript from the stenography machine is something that will later be transcribed into a full report.  Going to stenography school will help teach anyone to learn to build speed and accuracy on this machine. A stenography program is about more than just stenography, though. There are now other techniques for court reporting, such as voice writing, whereby the court reporter uses a stenomask to speak into a microphone during the proceedings. 

What is the Pay Like? 

Salary of a court reporter will vary, depending on many factors such as: location, experience level, and type of reporting. According to Salary.com, the salary ranges from mid 30k’s to mid 60k’s. Other websites also cite that this has the potential to be a six-figure salary job as well.  The position could be done either as a full-time position with a court or an agency, or could be done as a freelance position with a fair degree of flexibility. 

This is definitely a career that gives you the capacity to work and live just about anywhere. Every major city has a court house and the freelance opportunities in government as well as the corporate sector are abundant. 

Jobs outside the Court Room 

Other jobs done by court reporters could include doing instant translations into text, especially for television programmes for the deaf and hard of hearing. Closed captioning requires skills and many court reporters choose to go into this line of work as the hours can be flexible, and the work can be interesting. Some even do this from home. Court reporting professionals could work in government as well as any position that requires meetings be documented. Many people in this profession enjoy the flexibility, great earning potential, and the opportunity to freelance from home. 

Do You Need Special Training 

Court reporter schools exist, both on their own, as well as part of college programs. Court reporter training programs tend to be two years and there are also four year programs as well. 

Skills that are needed include: excellent focus and listening skills as well as good reaction time along with good English and grammatical skills. At times it may be difficult to listen and comprehend what’s happening in a busy courtroom and training and education provides a court reporter with the skills to be able to create accurate records of the goings on during a proceeding.  Courtroom proceedings can last for many hours so it’s important that the court reporter is able to work for long periods of time without losing accuracy. 

In order to get a job as a court reporter, most states in the US have a requirement of being able to achieve at least 225 words per minute on a stenography machine. 

The more knowledgeable you are on the legal field, the better. You can pick up experience as you go but a solid foundation in law is going to help you attract a great job and / or great assignments. 

About Court Reporting Schools 

Court reporting schools teach skills regarding the techniques for effective reporting such as using stenography or other technology such as voice writers.  You’re taught about legal terminology, correct records management, and correctly using the courtroom equipment, whether it’s a stenography machine or a voice writer. Beyond terminology and skills, you’re also taught to build speed and accuracy, which are both essential for courtroom jobs. 

How do you choose a great court reporting school? Doing some research online can help you. Many court reporter program listings exist online to give you course outlines, prerequisites, tuition information, and help understanding the available career opportunities. 

Think you don’t have time to start fresh and get a two or four year degree in court reporting? Today’s court reporter school options are abundant and flexible. You can do training through online education, through night classes, or other options as well. Today’s learning institutions understand that different students learn at different paces so you may also have options for self-paced training which can help you take your time at learning new skills or get into an accelerated learning program so that you can get into your new career sooner. Whatever you choose to do, understand that investing in your education is equivalent to investing in your own success. Learning more about court reporter schools can help you decide if this career sounds like a good option for you.

After graduating from court reporter school, getting a license, and starting your new career, what might a typical day’s work look like? Those who are considering embarking on a new career should consider more than a job description that’s summed up in a few sentences. Learning a bit more can help you determine whether or not it’s suited for your personality type as well as your career goals. Let’s take a look at the job of court reporting so you can decide if investing in getting educated in this area is right for you. Schools who teach the required skills advertise throughout the internet but what’s the job really like? 

People who like fast-paced work and who have a keen eye for detail are best suited for this type of work.  And, court reporters are professionals that can do more than work in court rooms alone. They often work in other locations and work both before and after courtroom proceedings to ensure that the transcripts they’ve worked on are complete, accurate, and secure. 

The court room might be the most likely place for someone in this vocation to spend their time but other job opportunities also exist, such as: transcriptions for various events and conferences as well as captioning positions for live and recorded television shows that require text for the hearing impaired. You may work directly for someone, may work for an agency, or you may be a freelance court reporter that works from home as well. 

The job can offer flexibility and plenty of opportunities. Job placement rates are high and unemployment among qualified court reporters is extremely low. In a time where many people are concerned about job security, finding a career that offers you security in an unstable economy is akin to peace of mind. The career choice is also interesting as well as well-paying, which makes getting educated and attending court reporting school a worthwhile investment. 

What’s taught in Court Reporter School? 

Court reporting training may have been referred to as stenography school in the past, but there’s a lot more to this profession than learning to use stenography equipment. 

You will learn use of stenography equipment, electronic reporting, or voice writer software package applications at accredited court reporting schools. Being able to use the required equipment and software for creation of transcripts is important of course, but court reporters also need to learn other skills as well, so that they’re best able to perform their job. 

Skills taught at court reporting schools could include: 

• English skills
• Shorthand
• Law foundations
• Legal terminology
• Speed building
• Policies and procedures relating to document and information security
• And more

It can take on average two to four years to complete your course and become licensed. Skills taught at court reporting school will prepare you for an exam that qualifies you to work in this profession. After passing that exam, you’ll need to follow local guidelines to keep your skills updated in order to maintain that license. 

Finding Work 

There are direct employment opportunities, agencies, and plenty of freelance opportunities as well. Once you’ve built the skills and expertise required for this profession, you can work just about anywhere and for a decent salary as well. 

Note: Many court reporting professionals choose to become notary publics as well. Having these skills complement one another and can provide further career opportunities.  The court reporter program you enrol in could also provide job placement opportunities, making it easy for you to get employed quickly after graduation and passing your exam. 

Skills Needed 

You’ll need to accuracy skills. You need to be able to think fast, especially if doing real time reporting in a court room or at a hearing and you’ll need to be able to use reporting skills flawlessly. Those with these skills can get lucrative positions.  There’s zero room for error in this field when you’re doing live reporting. A court reporting and stenography school will help students build the foundation of skills needed and then help them practice to build speed while ensuring accuracy. 

If your job consists of more than straight stenography, you’ll be able to put plenty of skills into practice. It can be a very interesting job, particularly if you’re interested in the legal field as well as criminal justice. 

If you’re doing voice writing, you’ll need to learn how to use speech recognition software. Not all court reporters use stenography machines any longer and as technology matures, new skills can be acquired to help you to continue to have marketable skills in this field.

You may be called to court as a witness for all kinds of reasons: to testify in divorce court, give a character evaluation, as an expert witness who needs to give a technical testimony, to relay the events of an automobile accident that you witnessed, share your side of the story in a criminal or civil case, and more. But despite all of the variables that impact your reason for being called to court, there are some general rules for how you should behave and how you need to present yourself in front of the judge, jury and lawyers. Keep reading for tips on how to appear as a witness in court.

• Be well groomed. Make sure that your hair is clean and brushed, your clothes aren’t wrinkled, your shoes are tied, and that your make-up is simple and appropriate. Avoid any offensive presentation, including bad smells or heavy perfume, garish, over-the-top makeup and hairstyles, or loud, distracting jewelry. Hide tattoos under clothing if possible.
• Dress professionally and conservatively. Dressing for court shouldn’t seem romantic or casual. Wear a suit or conservative dress in a basic color that’s flattering but doesn’t stand out too much. Avoid fire engine red, hot pink, and other neon or super bright colors that are distracting. You want the judge and jury to take your testimony seriously, and if you dress conservatively and professionally, you will present yourself as a witness who understands the gravity of the case.
• Know the rules of the court. Make sure to stand when the judge enters the room and how you are to be sworn in. You should also research any legal terms that are relevant to your case so that you understand what the judge and lawyers ask you.
• Speak up and speak clearly. Speak into the microphone and practice good diction so that everyone in the courtroom easily understands your testimony. Good articulation also makes you sound smarter and more authoritative.
• Be confident. Practice your testimony ahead of time so that you aren’t easily bungled by any distractions or unexpected questions. Confidence also makes it easier for a jury, judge and lawyers to understand your story and trust you.

Tell the truth. Always tell the truth when you’re on the stand. Perjury could result in jail time.