By Cathy Penniston
Good afternoon,
I am honored to speak to you today as your 2026-2027 President of the National Court Reporters Association.
I have served on the NCRA Board for eight years, and I am honored to serve as your next President.
Waukee, Iowa, is currently my home. My husband, Jerry, is a retired high school history teacher. Our daughter, Amy Sue, is an attorney in Des Moines.
Along with my court reporting credentials, I hold a Master’s Degree in Education. I have worked as an official court reporter, a broadcast captioner, and a court reporting instructor for 50 years.
As President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said: “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”
Just like my favorite pearl neck ties, let’s tie a knot and work together to protect the future of our timeless profession.
As we gather today in an era of artificial intelligence, automated transcription, and rapidly evolving technology, it is worth remembering that our profession has never stood still. Court reporters and captioners have been embracing new technologies for generations.
Long before computers and long before the internet, there was shorthand. As a court reporter for more than 50 years, I have lived through all of these changes, saw their effect on our profession, and learned to adapt and change to become a proficient court reporter and now captioner.
Systems such as Gregg Shorthand revolutionized the ability to capture the spoken word quickly and accurately. These methods required tremendous skill, concentration, and dedication. They represented some of the earliest efforts to create an accurate record of proceedings in a fast-paced world.
As technology advanced, pen shorthand writers gave way to stenographic machines. These machines transformed the profession, allowing court reporters to capture testimony with greater speed and efficiency. The steno machine became the symbol of the profession itself.
Then came computers.
Once again, our profession faced change. Court reporters learned new software, adapted to digital workflows, and embraced electronic transcript production. What once required stacks of paper, physical dictionaries, and manual editing became increasingly streamlined through technology.
The next major leap was Computer-Aided Transcription, commonly known as CAT software.
CAT technology revolutionized the way court reporters worked. It allowed us to translate stenographic notes into readable text almost instantly. It improved productivity, increased efficiency, and opened the door to realtime reporting and captioning.
For attorneys and judges, information became available faster than ever before.
For court reporters and captioners, it was another opportunity to evolve.
And evolve we did.
Today, we find ourselves at yet another turning point. Artificial intelligence, speech recognition, remote proceedings, cloud-based platforms, and digital recording systems are reshaping the legal landscape.
Once again, questions are asked.
Will technology replace court reporters and captioners?
Will automation eliminate the need for human expertise?
Will artificial intelligence make traditional skills obsolete?
These questions sound familiar because they have been asked in the past.
They were asked when stenographic machines replaced older methods.
They were asked when computers entered the profession.
They were asked when CAT software transformed transcript production.
And yet, through every technological advancement, one thing has remained constant:
The stenographic court reporter and captioner.
Why?
Because the value of a stenographic court reporter and captioner has never been defined by the technology we use.
It has been defined by the expertise we bring.
Technology changes.
Professional judgment does not.
Technology evolves.
Accountability remains essential.
Technology can process words.
Court reporters and captioners ensure accuracy.
Technology can generate text.
Court reporters and captioners protect the integrity of the record.
In every courtroom, deposition room, hearing room, and emergency weather broadcast, there is a need for someone who can do more than simply capture speech. There is a need for someone who can manage complex situations, identify inaccuracies, maintain neutrality, and ensure that the official record is complete and reliable.
That responsibility cannot be automated.
It requires human oversight.
It requires experience.
It requires professionalism.
As court reporters, we understand that legal proceedings involve more than words. They involve people. Witnesses become emotional. Attorneys speak over one another. Technical terminology changes from case to case. Unexpected circumstances arise every day.
Technology can assist us in these situations.
But it cannot replace the human judgment required to navigate them.
That is why the future of court reporting and captioning should not be viewed as a battle between humans and technology.
It should be viewed as a partnership.
Technology allows us to work faster, smarter, and expands our capabilities.
But the court reporter and captioner remains the professional responsible for ensuring the quality and integrity of the record.
From Gregg pen shorthand to stenographic machines, from CAT software to AI-assisted tools, our profession has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to adapt and thrive.
Each generation of court reporters and captioners has embraced innovation while preserving the principles that define our work: accuracy, impartiality, professionalism, and trust.
As we look toward the future, we should do what we have always done. And we should always remain confident in the value we bring to the legal system. We should be true to our profession and embrace technology, just like we’ve done for the last 50 years.
Because while the tools may change, the need for a skilled court reporter and captioner remains and always will.
Our responsibility is not to chase every tech trend. Our responsibility is to remain the most skilled, accurate, accountable, and cost-effective guardians of the record.
From Gregg Shorthand to Computer-Aided Transcription — and now to artificial intelligence —the story has never been about replacing court reporters and captioners.
It has always been about empowering our profession into the future. Let us knot our ties and hang together to protect our timeless profession, just like NCRA — our Association and our members — have done for the last 125 years.
Enjoy the convention!!
Cathy Penniston, M.A., RPR, CRI, is NCRA’s 2026-2027 President
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