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The
District Court of Maryland is a court of record, which means
that all proceedings before the court are recorded.
A typed transcript of a proceeding will be produced under certain limited
conditions.
Recordings on cassette tape or compact disc format may be requested by
anyone.
Transcripts
Transcripts may be obtained only when the person making the request has
appealed a District Court judgment in a civil case where the amount in
dispute is more than $5,000 ($2,500 if case was filed prior to 10/1/2003).
In such instances, you must request that a transcript be forwarded to the
circuit court.
When you make your request, you must submit a copy of your appeal letter,
along with a $75 deposit. The court will prepare one original, which is
sent to the circuit court and one copy, which is sent to you.
The cost for a transcript is $3 per page. If your final cost totals less
than $75, a copy of the transcript will automatically be mailed to you
and the balance of your deposit returned.
If your final cost totals more than $75, the court will bill you. Your
copy of the transcript will be released to you upon payment of the bill.
A transcript includes the proceedings in a case. For example, if the judge
held a preliminary hearing in the case just prior to the trial, both that
hearing and the trial will be transcribed.
Recordings
Anyone may request a copy of an audio recording of a case, regardless of
whether the individual making the request was a party in that case. Requests
for recordings must be submitted in writing to the clerk’s office.
The cost for the recording is $15 per case.
The District Court has updated its recording system from a cassette tape
to a data compact disc (CD) format. Cases heard prior to the upgrade will
be provided on cassette tape; all other recordings will be provided on
a CD that can be played back on a Windows-based computer.
A party to any case, or the attorney for any party, may be permitted to
listen to the recording of the trial of that case, at a time and a place
determined by a judge to be appropriate.
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Making a Request
To request a transcript or recording, submit a letter or complete a request
for recording transcript (form DCA 27), available at any District Court
location. Your request must be submitted to the district in which your
case was heard and must include the following information:
• the case number
• the trial/hearing dates
• the names of both parties to the case; and
• your name, address, and phone number
Transcripts are generally completed within 60 days of a request, while
recordings are completed within 30 days.
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