Western District of Texas

Court Records Transcript Request
Procedures for Requesting Transcripts

• Official Court Reporters
• Transcript From an Official Court Reporter (Non-Appeal)
• Transcript From an Official Reporter (Appeal)
• Transcript Under the Criminal Justice Act
• Transcript From an Electronic Recording (Magistrate Judge Proceedings)
• Transcript Rates
• Policies, Procedures and Forms

Transcript From an Official Court Reporter (Non-Appeal)

To obtain a transcript (non-appeal), follow these procedures:

1. Request the transcript (orally or in writing) from the appropriate court reporter. Be sure to provide pertinent information to identify the material to be transcribed.
2. Transcript Order (AO 435)   (For NON-APPEAL requests)
3. After receiving your request, the court reporter will provide an estimate of the cost. You must then make arrangements with the court reporter for payment.

Once financial arrangements have been made, the court reporter will prepare an original and one copy of the transcript and an AO Form 44 invoice. The court reporter will file the original transcript and AO Form 44 invoice with the Clerk's Office and provide a copy of the transcript and AO Form 44 invoice to you.

Transcript From an Official Reporter (Appeal)

If you are an appellant, you must follow these procedures:

1. Contact the appropriate court reporter to make financial arrangements for the transcript.
2. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Transcript Order (DKT-13)   (For APPEAL requests)
3. Complete information on the transcript order form (Form DKT-13, above) and forward pages 1-4 to the court reporter. (This form is an electronic version of the original 8-page, multi-part carbon-less form. Original signatures are required. You can obtain copies of the original multi-part form from the U.S. District Clerk's Office. Questions regarding the completion of the Form DKT-13 are to be directed to the Clerk's Office, U.S. Court of Appeals.)
4. Distribute pages 5 - 8 as indicated on the bottom center of the form.

The court reporter will complete Part II, forward page 4 to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, and prepare an original and one copy of the transcript. The court reporter will file the original transcript with the Clerk's Office and forward the copy to you.

Transcript Under the Criminal Justice Act

When representing a criminal defendant under the Criminal Justice Act, follow these procedures:

1. Complete items 1 - 11 on the CJA 24 voucher. (Original signatures are required. You can obtain copies of this form from the U.S. District Clerk's Office.)
2. PLEASE NOTE:   A separate CJA-24 form should be completed if you are ordering transcripts from both the district court and magistrate court, even if it's in the same case. If several court reporters were utilized to record the proceedings, a separate CJA-24 form should completed for each court reporter.
3. Forward the completed voucher to the presiding district judge for signature.

The judge's chambers will forward the signed voucher to the appropriate court reporter for preparation of the transcript. The court reporter will complete information on the voucher (items 15 - 21) and prepare an original and one copy of transcript. The court reporter will then file the original transcript in the Clerk's Office and forward a copy of the transcript and CJA 24 voucher to you for signature. You must sign the CJA 24 voucher (item 22) and return it to the court reporter.

(Note: In multi-defendant cases involving CJA defendants, only one transcript should be purchased from the court reporter on behalf of CJA defendants. See Transcript Rates.)

Transcript From an Electronic Recording (Magistrate Judge Proceedings)

To request a transcript from an electronic recording, follow these procedures:

1. Send a written request to the appropriate magistrate judge's secretary or courtroom deputy to make arrangements for transcribing the tape.
2. The secretary or courtroom deputy will provide the tape to a transcriber with your original request. The transcriber will then contact you. You must make financial arrangements with the transcriber at that time.

Once financial arrangements have been made, the transcriber will prepare an original and one copy of the transcript. The transcriber will provide a copy of the transcript to you and file the original in the Clerk's Office.

You may also purchase a copy of an audio tape by making an oral or written request to the appropriate magistrate judge's secretary or courtroom deputy. Follow directions given by the secretary or courtroom deputy for picking-up and paying for the tape. Tapes are $26.00 each.

Transcript Rates -- All Parties *

PRICE IS PER PAGE

	Original	First Copy to Each Party	Each Add'l Copy to Same Party
1 A realtime "feed" is the electronic data flow from the court reporter to the computer of each person or party ordering and receiving the realtime transcription in the courtroom. Transcript in CJA Cases:    In multi-defendant cases involving CJA defendants, only one transcript should be purchased from the court reporter on behalf of CJA defendants. One of the appointed counsel or clerk of court should arrange for duplication, at commercially competitive rates, of enough copies of the transcript for each CJA defendant for whom a transcript has been approved. The cost of duplication will be charged to the CJA appropriation. This policy does not preclude the court reporter from providing copies at a commercially competitive rate.
Ordinary Transcript (To be delivered within 30 calendar days after receipt of order)	$3.65	$.90	$.60
14-Day Transcript	$4.25	$.90	$.60
Expedited Transcript (To be delivered within 7 calendar days after receipt of order)	$4.85	$.90	$.60
Daily Transcript (To be delivered following adjournment and prior to the normal opening hour of court on the following morning, whether or not it actually is a court day)	$6.05	$1.20	$.90
Hourly (To be delivered within two hours after receipt of order)	$7.25	$1.20	$.90
Realtime Transcript	One feed, $3.05 per page; two-to-four feeds, $2.10 per page; five or more feeds, $1.50 per page 1

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* Taken from Volume VI of the Guide to Judiciary Policies and Procedures.

Policies, Procedures and Forms

• Viewing Transcripts in CM/ECF  
• General Order Regarding Electronic Filing of Transcripts
• Guidance for Court Reporters and Transcribers on the Electronic Availability of Transcripts in Case Management/Electronic Case Files (CM/ECF) and Transcript Redaction Procedures
• Contract Court Reporter/Transcriber Information for Electronically Filing a Transcript
• Important Notice to the Bar, Re: Transcript Redaction Requirements
• Revised Transcript Redaction Procedures
• Flowchart Regarding Transcript Redaction Policy
• Transcript Redaction Request
• Transcript Order (AO 435)   (NOTE: Please use for NON-APPEAL purposes)
• Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals Transcript Order (DKT-13)   (NOTE: Please use for APPEAL purposes)