The AOC has also spent the past several years upgrading the existing systems, said Tim Shea, staff attorney for the Administrative Office of the Courts.

The biggest change will just be one of awareness, he said.

"Judges and lawyers and even clerks will need to pay greater attention to the quality of the audio recording," Shea said. "That depends entirely on the decorum in the courtroom."

That means talking one at a time, speaking clearly and not covering desk microphones.

The exception to the audio-only rule will be death-penalty cases, where a defendant receives an automatic appeal. In those cases, the court reporters will be chosen from an approved list and paid like freelancers, rather than employees, Becker said.

"It was a difficult decision," Becker said. "But ... it was a decision they could make and save money and still get the work done."

But how good will the work be? That's the looming concern.

"The state has indicated there's no difference," Eaton said. "I dispute this. This is my profession. If it was easier for me to do an audio, I'd go in and tape record it myself."

Paying for change

Come July 1, any attorney who wants a court reporter at a case other than a death penalty case will have to ask the court for permission, then foot the bill themselves. There's a half or full-day fee, usually $100 and $200, then the transcript fee. Reporters on capital cases will be paid a $75 half-day fee, Shea said.

The state has been getting a deal, says Anthony Johnson, general manager of Depomax Merit, one of the largest court reporting companies in Utah, as the average freelance reporter makes around $75,000 to $80,000 a year. An entry level state court reporter salary starts around $38,000 a year and tops out at $72,000, court officials say.

Johnson is forebodingly predicting the new digital system will cost much more than it saves.

"In their mind, as long as it's not in their budget, they did what they were asked to do," Johnson said of the courts. "It's not a savings to the people, it's a savings to the state coffers," adds Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman. "It's pushed to the county. We were already paying for the transcripts. Now we'll pay for the reporter to be there as well, and that's expensive."

But Becker said he doesn't think attorneys will often request court reporters because a digital record will already be in place.

Even if the economy improved, Becker doubts court reporters would be reinstated.

"This is a decision that is being driven by the budget," he said. "But in the long run, we have already been relying on digital recording equipment (as a) different way of capturing the record. I don't see us going back."