Rule 80.Stenographic report or transcript as evidence.

Rule 15-6-80 addresses a narrow but practical problem: what to do when testimony that was already given, and stenographically recorded, becomes relevant again in a later proceeding. Whenever the testimony of a witness at a trial or hearing that was stenographically reported is admissible in evidence at a later trial or hearing, the rule lets it be proved through the transcript rather than by calling the witness back.

The transcript has to carry a specific safeguard: it must be duly certified by the person who reported the testimony. That certification requirement ties the document to the court reporter who took it down, rather than allowing any typed copy to substitute for the original record.

The rule addresses only how to prove testimony that is already admissible; it does not itself decide whether that earlier testimony qualifies for admission at the later proceeding. Where it does apply, it spares the parties from re-examining a witness whose earlier testimony already covers the necessary ground.