Committee recommends permanent revocation of court reporter Jennifer Hall’s certification in two matters

The Complaint Review Committee recommended permanent revocation of court reporter Jennifer Hall’s certification in two matters, Cause Nos. 0779 and 0832, after finding violations of the commission’s Code of Ethics in both files.

For Cause No. 0779 (filed Dec. 2024 by Stacy Lee Sanfilippo), the committee found violations identified in staff paperwork as Code of Ethics sections 4(b)(1), 7(e), 8(e) and 10(m). For Cause No. 0832 (filed April 3, 2025 by Melinda Saucedo, commission compliance manager), staff found violations listed as 4(b)(1), 5(b), 8(b) and 10(f). Staff recommended permanent revocation of Hall’s certification for both matters, effective on the date of the final order.

Committee members discussed the timeline: the Dec. 2024 complaint preceded the commission’s February 2025 license action, while the April 2025 complaint was filed after that February action. Committee members noted a pattern of failures, including unresponsiveness to requests for status updates, failure to provide deposition transcripts or exhibits, and repeated notices from appellate courts about delinquent records. One committee member said, "we didn't know that at the time we made the complaint," referring to subsequent information that pointed to recurring problems beyond a single incident.

Members debated whether a multi‑year suspension would be sufficient or whether permanent revocation was appropriate for a repeated pattern of conduct; several members described the conduct as a pattern that was likely to repeat if the reporter were reinstated. The committee also discussed practical questions about records the reporter previously produced and whether those records can be certified or must be transcribed and certified by another reporter if Hall's certification is revoked.

The committee moved and voted to accept staff’s recommendation for permanent revocation in both causes; the motion, as read into the record, accepted staff recommendations of permanent revocation with findings of violations of the specified Code of Ethics sections. The committee recorded voices in favor and the motion carried. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Judicial Branch Certification Commission as the committee’s formal recommendation.