Denver (AP) — A judge said Monday he approves of Timothy McVeigh's agreement with a coroner and the government that no autopsy would be conducted after he is executed for the Oklahoma City bombing.

But the judge said he lacks the authority to order that no autopsy be performed.

Lawyers for McVeigh, the federal government and the coroner in Vigo County, Ind., signed the agreement March 9.

McVeigh's lawyers asked U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch for a ruling to ensure that no autopsy be carried out. Matsch rejected McVeigh's motion for the order.

''I don't have the authority to make this agreement an order of the court,'' Matsch said. ''I do, of course, approve of it as an appropriate solution to an awkward situation for the coroner and everyone involved.''

He added: ''I'd like to be helpful, but I also have to be careful about my jurisdiction.''

Matsch, who presided over McVeigh's trial, said he believes his jurisdiction in McVeigh's case ends the moment McVeigh dies. McVeigh is scheduled to be executed May 16 at the federal prison in Vigo County.

McVeigh was convicted of murder, conspiracy and weapons-related charges for the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The explosion killed 168 people.