The Oklahoma Supreme Court has authorized a three-year, vendor-supported pilot to test speech-to-text recording and cloud storage in selected district courts. The October 12, 2026, court order cited court reporter unavailability and called for developing a statewide plan for counties with reporter vacancies. The pilot rules authorize the technology’s use at all stages of civil and criminal proceedings in participating counties. Although statewide implementation has not been ordered, the pilot could shape future decisions about how Oklahoma captures and preserves court proceedings.
The pilot program rules preserve a critical role for certified court reporters: Only they may review, prepare, and certify transcripts, and a certified transcript constitutes the official record. Recordings, automated preliminary transcripts, and associated metadata are classified as judicial work product, with restrictions on disclosure. Judges or their designees must operate the equipment and verify that recording is taking place. The rules also prohibit using recordings and related data to train or improve artificial intelligence models. For reporters preparing transcripts from these recordings, the completeness and quality of the initial capture will be critical.
NCRA members nationwide should pay attention because Oklahoma’s approach could influence how other courts respond to reporter vacancies. In Justice Combs’s dissent, he said the court adopted the rules without seeking input from the reporters’ task force established in 2017. That concern underscores why the profession needs a voice in evaluating these systems. Members should watch for evidence about accuracy, recording failures, confidentiality, transcript turnaround, and total costs while advocating for reporter recruitment and retention. Oklahoma’s pilot presents an opportunity to explain how a reporter’s work during proceedings supports a reliable record long before a transcript is requested.
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