---
title: "Build an issues list and the witness names for an inquest"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/coronial-inquests/build-the-issues-to-witness-matrix-for-an-inquest/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A61-V20261018-5-US"
practice_area: "Coronial Inquests"
tier: "green"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Build an issues list and the witness names for an inquest

> List the issues the lawyer has already written and the names on any subpoena already in the file. Do not add a name and do not draft what a witness will say.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/coronial-inquests/build-the-issues-to-witness-matrix-for-an-inquest/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Coronial Inquests](https://ailawframework.com/practice/coronial-inquests.md) |
| Human involvement | Green: AI drafts, lawyer checks |
| How AI is used | List the issues the lawyer has already written and the names on any subpoena already in the file. Do not add a name and do not draft what a witness will say. |
| What the lawyer must review | Minnesota Statutes section 390.11, subdivision 5, allows an inquest at the request of the medical examiner and the county attorney, or the coroner and the county attorney. An inquest is optional. The coroner or medical examiner may investigate and certify the death without one. The county attorney may subpoena witnesses. Inquest records are made public, but the record and report may not be used in evidence in any civil action arising out of the death. CDC states that each state sets which deaths are investigated. You choose the issues. The list is internal. Model Rule 1.6 applies to the names. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Build the issues-to-witness matrix for an inquest](https://ailawframework.com/practice/coronial-inquests/build-the-issues-to-witness-matrix-for-an-inquest.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: List the issues the lawyer has already written and the names on any subpoena already in the file. Do not add a name and do not draft what a witness will say.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- A family does not compel a Minnesota inquest under the subdivision that was opened.
- Attendance is enforced under Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure 22, which was not opened. Do not describe its penalties.

## Sources

- [Minnesota Statutes section 390.11 (coroner and medical examiner investigations)](https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/390.11) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [CDC Public Health Law: death investigation and coroner and medical examiner systems](https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/php/coroner/index.html) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [ABA Model Rule 1.6, Confidentiality of Information](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/professional_responsibility/publications/model_rules_of_professional_conduct/rule_1_6_confidentiality_of_information/) (checked 2026-10-22)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Requesting a Queensland inquest: pathway, dates and pre-inquest conference](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/coronial-inquests/qld-inquest-request-pathway.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Pathway for asking a Queensland coroner to hold an inquest, including the six-month decision period, the 14-day next step, and what a pre-inquest conference decides. |
| [Application for access to coronial documents or an inquest transcript (Coroners Court Form 45)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/coronial-inquests/form-vic-coroner-45-access-documents.md) | Form | Yellow | Link to Coroners Court Form 45, the application for access to coronial documents or an inquest transcript. |
| [Issues-to-witness matrix for an inquest](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/coronial-inquests/inquest-issues-to-witness-matrix.md) | Checklist | Green | A matrix mapping each issue on the inquest issues list to the witnesses, statements, exhibits and brief references that bear on it, with the client's questions for each witness and gaps to raise… |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*