Autopsy Photo Update: Medical examiners don’t need a judge’s approval to use autopsy photos in training public officials such as police, but they can’t use them in private universities, Attorney General Bob Butterworth said Friday in a legal opinion. Left unclear is whether autopsy photos can be used in classes at public universities under the so-called “Dale Earnhardt law” that bars release of autopsy pictures in most cases. Hillsborough County officials requested the attorney general’s interpretation of the law, seeking clarification on how it would affect the county medical examiner’s teaching duties. The law was passed this spring after Earnhardt was killed in a last-lap crash at the Daytona 500 in February. His widow sought to block newspapers and Websites from gaining access to the racing legend’s autopsy photos, citing the trauma her family would suffer. A judge has upheld the law, and another judge has denied newspapers’ efforts to obtain the photos under the new law(Daytona Beach News Journal)(7-14-2001)
