(a) A court reporter or shorthand reporting firm may not enter into or provide services under any contractual agreement, written or oral, exclusive or nonexclusive, that:
(1) undermines the impartiality of the court reporter;
(2) requires a court reporter to relinquish control of an original deposition transcript and copies of the transcript before it is certified and delivered to the custodial attorney;
(3) requires a court reporter to provide any service not made available to all parties to an action;
(4) gives or appears to give an exclusive advantage to any party; or
(5) restricts an attorney’s choice in the selection of a court reporter or shorthand reporting firm.
(b) Subsections (a)(2) and (3) do not apply to a contract for court reporting services for a court, agency, or instrumentality of the United States or this state.

Terms Used In Texas Government Code 154.115

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Court reporter: A person who makes a word-for-word record of what is said in court and produces a transcript of the proceedings upon request.
  • Deposition: An oral statement made before an officer authorized by law to administer oaths. Such statements are often taken to examine potential witnesses, to obtain discovery, or to be used later in trial.
  • Reporter: Makes a record of court proceedings and prepares a transcript, and also publishes the court's opinions or decisions (in the courts of appeals).
  • Transcript: A written, word-for-word record of what was said, either in a proceeding such as a trial or during some other conversation, as in a transcript of a hearing or oral deposition.
  • United States: includes a department, bureau, or other agency of the United States of America. See Texas Government Code 311.005
  • Written: includes any representation of words, letters, symbols, or figures. See Texas Government Code 311.005
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