by Eric Surber
Judicature International (2024) | An online-only publication
Pictured Above: Opposition legislators holding placards in protest of a controversial package of judicial reform legislation, which received Senate approval on September 12, 2024, in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Ian Robles/ Eyepix Group)
The September 2024 Judicial News Report is dedicated to press coverage of the judicial overhaul proposal in Mexico. If implemented. As pictured above, the proposal has sparked outrage and protests across Mexico, and international observers are concerned about the impact it would have on judicial independence and the rule of law. Below are recent articles from major news outlets about the proposal, also known as “Plan C,” and its possible impact on Mexico’s economy, the rule of law, international relations, and domestic peace.
Mexico federal court employees strike over judicial changes requiring that judges stand for election (Associated Press, 8.19.2024)
Unionized court employees put chains and locks on the gates at several courthouses, saying the measures would deal a significant blow to checks and balances in Mexico and also threaten their working conditions, benefits and salaries. The strike comes amid a long-running rift between the populist leader and the judiciary, spurring on democratic concerns. Keep reading »
Why everyone is suddenly worried about Mexico’s democracy (The Washington Post, 9.4.2024)
Under the new system, voters would choose nearly all the country’s judges, even those on the Supreme Court. The Biden administration, legal scholars and business groups warn that the reform could undermine Mexico’s young democracy and damage its economic partnership with the United States. Keep Reading »
Bolivia Is a Warning for Mexico’s Judicial Reform (America’s Quarterly, 9.10.2024)
Only one other country in the world has tried this experiment: Bolivia, where the election of judges by popular vote worsened the country’s rule of law performance (according to the 2023 World Justice Project index) and more judges than ever are the center of public scandals. Keep Reading »
Why Nearly All Judges in Mexico Could Soon Be Chosen by Voters (The New York Times, 9.11.2024)
The [proposal] would shift the judiciary from an appointment-based system largely grounded in training and qualifications to one where voters elect judges and there are few requirements to run. Nearly all of Mexico’s more than 7,000 judges could be affected by the measure, making the overhaul one of the most sweeping of its kind attempted anywhere in the world in recent decades, according to legal scholars. Keep Reading »
AMLO calls for swift enactment of Mexico judicial overhaul after state nods (Al Jazeera, 9.12.2024)
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has said the judicial reform package that he championed should be enacted on September 15, after a majority of state legislatures approved the overhaul. The announcement came just hours after lawmakers in the country’s Senate approved the bill, which would see federal judges elected by popular vote, among other changes. Keep Reading »
INE, with 9 months and many doubts over the election of judges (El Universal, 9.16.2024; Source article in Spanish)
Against the clock and without supporting legislation, Mexico’s National Electoral Institute (INE) must organize the first election of judges and magistrates, an unprecedented process in the world. Election day will take place the first Sunday of June, in other words, in nine months, but uncertainty prevails over the budget, number of polling stations, and ballot design, among other necessary aspects. Keep Reading »
The August 2024 Global Judicial News Report was compiled and written by Judicature’s web editor Eric Surber.
