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Variation in state laws regarding disclosure of autopsy reports and related materials in the U.S.
A patchwork of state laws, judicial rulings and medical-examiner practices means many U.S. jurisdictions restrict public release of autopsy reports, images and related death-scene materials; a 2013 su...
Several states have moved to restrict access to between 2023 and 2025, most notably ’s new law excluding most minor autopsy reports from public records and ’s statute limiting disclosure in criminal i...
Courts have ordered release of autopsy reports over family objections when statutes or common-law public‑records principles, combined with a demonstrated public or litigant interest, outweigh privacy ...
Affidavits are routinely used in legal and administrative processes but are not automatically equivalent to live testimony; courts and agencies often require corroborating documentary or physical evid...
Across the United States there is no single rule: some states treat autopsy reports and forensic case files as presumptively public records, others treat them as confidential medical or coroner record...