NEWS FROM U.S. DISTRICT COURT
November 8, 2019

ORDERING TRANSCRIPTS IN CJA CASES: When our judges met in September, they agreed to changes designed to speed up the approval process for transcript requests by counsel appointed under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA). The Clerk’s Office can now authorize transcripts for hearings and trials, except when CJA counsel is requesting a transcript of voir dire, opening statements, closing arguments or a transcript prepared on an expedited basis. Judge approval is necessary for these exceptions. The process for requesting a transcript by submitting a CJA 24 (Authorization and Voucher for Payment of Transcript) in CJA eVoucher remains the same.

Justification is required for expediated transcripts and transcripts of voir dire, opening statements, and closing arguments. Please attach your justification to the Documents tab in CJA eVoucher prior to completing submission of your transcript request.

HOLIDAY CALENDAR: The Clerk’s Office and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office will be closed on Monday, November 11, 2019, in honor of Veterans Day. Both offices will also be closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. The Clerk’s Office and the U.S. Probation and Pretrial Services Office will be open on Friday, November 29, Tuesday, December 24, and Tuesday, December 31, but with a reduced staff.

TIP INTERPRETERS: In the September attorney newsletter we told you about the Telephone Interpreting Program (TIP) that uses remote certified and highly qualified court reporters for court proceedings that are less than one hour in duration. The District of South Dakota has utilized TIP interpreters for well over a decade and has saved the District substantial monies. During the last four years alone, the District has utilized TIP interpreters 671 times, resulting in savings of more than $685,000.