Medical Examiner (US)
Definition
A physician (typically a board-certified forensic pathologist) appointed by government authority to investigate deaths within their jurisdiction. Distinguished from the elected Coroner who need not be a physician. The NAME Model Medical Examiner Act (2003) sets the model statutory framework.
Related terms
- BNSS § 194
- Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (replacing CrPC § 174). Requires a police inquest for deaths that are sudden,...
- Coroners and Justice Act 2009 (CJA 2009)
- The primary UK statute governing HM Coroner's jurisdiction in England and Wales. Section 1(2) triggers a duty to investigate when the coroner...
- CPP Articles 74-75 (France)
- Articles 74 and 74-1 of the French Code de procédure pénale governing the procureur de la République's investigative authority over deaths in...
- INTERPOL DVI Protocol
- The INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification protocol (last revised 2022), which defines standardised Post-Mortem (PM) data-collection forms and the matching process between PM...
- NAME Referral Criteria
- The National Association of Medical Examiners consensus criteria for deaths that should receive medico-legal investigation. Categories include sudden unexpected death in apparently...
Explained in
- Which Deaths Require a Medico-Legal AutopsyA physician (typically a board-certified forensic pathologist) appointed by government authority to investigate deaths within their jurisdiction. Distinguished...