San Diego court officials say budget cuts will force them to cut more than 40 court reporters by the end of year.
The North County Times reports that without the reporters who take verbatim notes of hearings, there will be no record of what is said in courtrooms that handle many civil cases.
Court clerks will keep a record of rulings by a judge, although without a detailed account of a hearing, some litigants may have a difficult time appealing a decision.
The cuts are part of an effort to reduce spending by $11 million for San Diego's courts this fiscal year.
Eleven court reporters agreed to an early retirement and 30 court reporters will be laid off.
