TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Jan 19, 2024

The Tennessee Bar Association has submitted a comment to the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI) regarding the licensure of court reporters and the sunsetting of the Board of Court Reporting. Recently, the TDCI identified the Board of Court Reporting as a regulatory body that is no longer needed. Among other things, the TDCI noted that the board meets only twice a year and has relatively few complaints to deal with. Given that the purpose of most regulatory boards is to protect the public, in this instance the TDCI believes that the public is well protected, and there is no longer a need to have a regulatory board in place. The TBA earlier publicized the request for public comment, and also polled section members to determine their respective opinions on the issue. While some comments agreed with the TDCI’s position that the board is unnecessary and is not needed to protect the public, the majority of comments expressed support for the continued regulation of court reporters. The TBA has thoughtfully considered TDCI’s rationale in recommending to sunset the board, but respectfully believes that the very existence of the board serves the critical function of protecting the public, which is a paramount consideration for the creation or continuation of any state board. Read the full comment.