One of the key functions of a court is to ensure that all court proceedings are properly recorded as part of the official court record. These records must also be available to the public. At Montgomery County Circuit Court, the Technical Services Department is responsible for these tasks, as well as for maintaining the integrity of the court’s telephone, internet, and intranet communications and all electronic equipment used by approximately 400 court personnel. The Department supports 10 full-time administrative and IT staff who are responsible for addressing all of the technical service needs of the court.
The Technical Services Department supports the Circuit Court with highly trained Administrative and Information Technology professionals. Its mission is to provide the Circuit Court and the public with the best information technology and services so the court can efficiently and effectively perform its business practices at an unprecedented level of quality at the lowest possible cost.
The Technical Services Department is committed to providing superior customer support and services to our community through the implementation and integration of technology in ways that support and address the court’s business processes.
The Technical Services Department is staffed by ten dedicated and diversified professionals. Their expertise ranges from database design to administrative/user support to provide efficient and effective service to the public and the court staff and support the operations of the Circuit Court.
- Court Recordings
The Technical Services Department is in charge of ensuring proper recording of all court proceedings for the official court record that occur in the 29 courtroom and hearing rooms located at the Circuit Court. For more than 30 years, the court has electronically recorded all courtroom proceedings. The Department maintains a “library” of these recordings from Civil, Family, Equity, Criminal, Juvenile, District Court Appeals, and Register of Wills cases. All court proceedings for the past 12 years are stored on-site.
In 2002, the court introduced a new digital recording system, CourtSmart, after having used an 8-track reel-to-reel tape system to record court proceedings for the first 20 years of its existence. The CourtSmart system allows the court to constantly monitor court proceedings, perform real-time verification of courtroom events, and to record and maintain the proceedings with vastly improved sound quality. In addition, CourtSmart’s storage and retrieval flexibility of archived media enables the Department to offer new services, such as rapid search on court proceeding files, which expedites a transcript request. Information digitization via CourtSmart also enables the court to provide court proceedings in CDs. For purchasing transcripts, see "Transcripts and Audio Recordings" below.
- Public Services
The Technical Services Department provides transcripts/audio of courtroom proceedings and evidentiary presentation equipment rentals.
Transcripts and Audio Recordings
Transcripts are the most frequently requested service of the Technical Services Department. Transcripts can be purchased by the public, including litigants and attorneys, as long as the case has not been sealed (closed to the public) pursuant to a Judge’s order.
Transcript fees are assessed by page, and the page prices are determined by the requested turn-around time. Audio CD recordings of courtroom hearings and trials may also be purchased.
How to Request a Written Transcript
Transcript requests are processed by the Technical Services’ staff either in person (Room T-18, Judicial Center, 50 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland) or by telephone (240-777-9150). A deposit is required to process any transcript request. Contact the Technical Services Department for an estimate of the total transcript cost and the deposit amount. Click Transcript Price for the transcript fee schedule.
To process a transcript order, the following information is required:
Case Number
Case Name
Exact Hearing and/or Trial Date(s), and
Name of the presiding Judge or Master
All transcripts provided by the Circuit Court are certified for litigation in court.
In addition, with purchase of the original transcript, an electronic version of the transcript (PDF format) is provided free of charge on a CD and additional hard copies of the transcript for $0.18/page.
How to Request an Audio Recording
Requests for audio recordings of court proceedings are processed by the Technical Services staff either in person (Room T-18, Judicial Center, 50 Maryland Avenue, Rockville, Maryland) or by telephone (240-777-9150). Most audio recording requests are processed within 1 to 2 business days, and are available on a data CD.
To process an audio recording, the following information is required:
Case Number
Case Name
Exact Hearing and/or Trial Date(s), and
Name of the presiding Judge or Master
NOTE: The Technical Services Department provides electronic recordings of Circuit Court proceedings for the limited purpose of verification of testimony. Any broadcast and/or copies made of an electronic recording is strictly prohibited by law and Administrative Order of this Court.
Audio Visual Equipment Rental
The Technical Services Department accepts reservations for renting the following audio visual equipment for the use in courtrooms and hearing rooms only:
Telephones with conferencing capabilities
TVs
VCRs
DVD players
LCD projectors
Overhead projectors
ELMO (an LCD Projector/Document Camera)
Equipment rental is on a first-come, first-serve basis, and early reservations are strongly encouraged. Equipment can be reserved and rented on either a daily or weekly basis. For equipment rental price information, check Audio Visual Equipment Price List for the rental price list or contact the Technical Services Department by telephone (240-777-9150).
Audio/Visual media duplication/conversion
The Technical Services Department also offers audiovisual media duplication/conversion services for the recordings of court proceedings. The Technical Services’ staff duplicates VHS tapes, cassette tapes, and CDs and converts micro-cassettes and VHS tapes to standard cassette tapes. Click Audio Visual Equipment Price List for these services or contact the Department by telephone (240-777-9150).
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- Courthouse Services
The Technical Services Department is responsible for every aspect of the court’s information systems and supports approximately 400 users. The duties of, and services performed by, five Information Technology Specialists range from installing and maintaining server/PC hardware and software applications to designing and troubleshooting complex computer networks and information databases.
The Technical Services’ IT staff support the following systems and applications on an on-going basis:
- Case File Tracking Systems
- Case Management Information Systems
- Computer Networking/Network Infrastructure
- CourtSmart, the Digital Recording System
- Database Systems Design
- Docket and Directory Display Systems
- Electronic Document Imaging System
- Help Desk Call Center Support
- Professional Computer Hardware/Software Support
- Telephone/Telephone Conferencing Systems
- Video Conferencing Systems
- Website Design and Maintenance
- Wireless Internet Access Points
