# Medical examiner *Official who investigates deaths and oversees death certification; in Hennepin County, Minnesota, an office appointed by the county board.* A medical examiner investigates why a person died and supervises the certification of that death. In the United States the office may conduct post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions it may open inquests.[^1] The office developed out of the coroner system during the second half of the nineteenth century. Responsibility for investigating unnatural deaths in the country is divided among more than 2,000 separate jurisdictions.[^1] In Hennepin County, three offices are appointed by the county board: the medical examiner, the auditor-treasurer and the recorder. The [[sheriff]] and the [[county attorney]] are elected separately.[^2][^3] The board consists of seven commissioners, each elected by district to a four-year nonpartisan term.[^2] The office enters the Minnesota record through the George Floyd prosecutions. On September 11, 2020, Judge [[Peter Cahill]] disqualified [[Hennepin County Attorney]] [[Michael O. Freeman]] and three of his staff lawyers from the [[George Floyd cases]]. The disqualification followed a meeting between Freeman's staff and the medical examiner, which the record describes as an alleged violation of attorney conduct rules.[^4] Attorney General [[Keith Ellison]]'s team completed the prosecution and obtained [[Derek Chauvin]]'s conviction on April 20, 2021.[^4] ## Who Qualifications for the office differ from one American jurisdiction to the next. Most require a medical degree, but many do not require specialized training in pathology. Some counties in Wisconsin require no particular medical or educational background at all. Other jurisdictions add requirements in pathology, law and forensic pathology.[^5] In the United States the office is usually filled by appointment rather than by election.[^5] A coroner, by contrast, need not be a physician; the office may be held by a lawyer or by someone without professional training.[^6] ## What The deaths that must be reported to a medical examiner are set by federal, state or local law.[^7] They commonly include: - violent, suspicious, sudden or unexpected deaths; - deaths where no physician was present or treating the person; - deaths of inmates of public institutions and of people in law enforcement custody; - deaths during or just after therapeutic or diagnostic procedures; - deaths from neglect.[^7] The usual duties of the office include: - determining the cause and the manner of death; - examining the body and studying its tissues, organs, cells and fluids; - issuing death certificates and keeping death records; - identifying unknown dead and responding to mass disasters; - working with law enforcement.[^7] Medical examiners may also visit crime scenes and give testimony in court.[^7] ## When During the nineteenth century, public dissatisfaction with coroners who lacked medical training produced demands that physicians take over the role.[^6] In 1918, New York City created an office of Chief Medical Examiner and staffed it with physicians experienced in pathology.[^6] Forensic pathology received formal certification as a medical subspecialty in 1959.[^6] From the 1940s onward, medical examiner systems have progressively displaced coroner systems in the United States.[^7] ## How Training after high school can take 11 to 18 years.[^8] The path runs through: - a bachelor's degree, followed by the Medical College Admissions Test; - four years of medical school, two academic and two clinical, leading to an MD or DO; - four to five years of anatomic and clinical pathology training; - an anatomic pathology residency or a fellowship.[^8] Before practising as a medical examiner, a physician must be board-certified by the American Board of Pathology.[^8] ## How much The Wikipedia article on the office estimates that average pay ranges from $105,000 to $500,000, depending on location.[^9] ## How many In 2002, according to the Wikipedia article: - 22 states used a medical examiner system; - 11 states used a coroner system; - 18 states used a mixed system.[^7] The same article reports that the medical examiner system serves about 48 percent of the U.S. population. It names the office in Baltimore, Maryland, as the largest in the country.[^7] The article also reports, without a date, that the United States has fewer than 500 board-certified forensic pathologists. The National Commission on Forensic Science estimates that 1,100 to 1,200 are needed to perform the autopsies required. The article states that the shortfall has produced long delays in some states and, in some cases, fewer or less thorough investigations.[^10] ## In the at-issue record - [[At issue 003 - Michael O. Freeman held the Hennepin County Attorney's]] is dated September 11, 2020. It records Judge Cahill's disqualification of Freeman and three of his staff from the George Floyd cases after staff met with the medical examiner.[^4] The project anchors the item to the March 2025 presidential action *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos*.[^11] - [[At issue 054 - Hennepin County's Sheriff and County Attorney are separately]] records how Hennepin County's offices are filled. The board appoints the medical examiner, auditor-treasurer and recorder, but not the two offices that hold charging and arrest power.[^2][^3] It carries the same presidential-action anchor.[^11] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - **Michael O. Freeman** served as Hennepin County Attorney from January 7, 1991, to January 5, 1999, and again from January 3, 2007, to January 2, 2023, a total of twenty-four years.[^4] He lost the DFL endorsement in 1994 and won it in 1998.[^4] - **Freeman's legislative service:** before becoming county attorney, he represented District 40 in the [[Minnesota Senate]] from 1982 to 1991, according to the Legislative Reference Library's legislator record.[^12] Wikipedia adds that he was Majority Whip in his second term.[^4] - **The Hennepin County Board** has seven commissioners. Each district holds roughly 180,000 to 185,000 residents, according to a local newspaper explainer.[^2][^13] ### What - In Hennepin County the medical examiner is appointed by the board, while the sheriff and county attorney answer directly to voters.[^2][^3] ### When - **2020:** Freeman charged Chauvin and three other officers. A recall petition drive followed, citing the delay in charging and his refusal to recuse.[^4] - **September 11, 2020:** Judge Cahill disqualified Freeman and three staff lawyers after the meeting with the medical examiner.[^4] - **After the disqualification:** Freeman nonetheless supplied "strategic advice and coordination" to the Attorney General's team.[^4] - **April 20, 2021:** the Attorney General's team obtained Chauvin's conviction.[^4] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, lead section (revid 1380453851, retrieved 2026-10-28) — definition of the office, its post-mortem and inquest role, its origin in the coroner system, and the 2,000-plus jurisdictions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^2]: Ballotpedia, *Government of Hennepin County, Minnesota* (undated) — seven commissioners elected by district to four-year nonpartisan terms; sheriff and county attorney separately elected; medical examiner, auditor-treasurer and recorder board-appointed. https://ballotpedia.org/Government_of_Hennepin_County,_Minnesota [^3]: Wikipedia contributors, *Hennepin County, Minnesota* (undated) — the same elected and appointed division of county offices. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennepin_County,_Minnesota [^4]: Wikipedia contributors, *Michael O. Freeman* (undated, as cited in the dossier) — the September 11, 2020 disqualification by Judge Cahill; county attorney tenures; DFL endorsement contests; charging decisions; recall drive; "strategic advice and coordination"; Chauvin conviction on April 20, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_O._Freeman [^5]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "Qualifications" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — variation in U.S. requirements, the Wisconsin example, and appointment as the typical mode of selection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^6]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "History" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — lay coroners, the 1918 New York City office, and the 1959 certification of forensic pathology. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^7]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "United States" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — the 2002 state counts, 48 percent population coverage, the Baltimore office, reportable deaths, duties, and replacement of coroner systems since the 1940s. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^8]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "Education" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — the 11–18 year training path and American Board of Pathology certification. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^9]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "Career" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — estimated average pay of $105,000 to $500,000. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^10]: Wikipedia contributors, *Medical Examiner*, section "Shortage" (retrieved 2026-10-28) — fewer than 500 board-certified forensic pathologists against a National Commission on Forensic Science estimate of 1,100–1,200 needed, and the effects of the shortfall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_Examiner [^11]: The White House, *Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos* (March 2025) — presidential action used by the project as the anchor for at-issue items 003 and 054. https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/stopping-waste-fraud-and-abuse-by-eliminating-information-silos/ [^12]: Minnesota Legislative Reference Library, *Legislator record: Michael O. Freeman* (undated) — service in the Minnesota Senate, District 40, 1982–1991. https://www.lrl.mn.gov/legdb/fulldetail?id=10197 [^13]: Hill and Lake Press, *Demystifying Hennepin County: What Commissioners Actually Do* (undated) — commissioner districts of roughly 180,000–185,000 residents. https://hillandlakepress.org/demystifying-hennepin-county-what-commissioners-actually-do