Thousands of Mexicans, including court employees and law students, staged a significant protest in Mexico City on Sunday against a controversial judicial reform proposal. This initiative, spearheaded by outgoing President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and approved by the lower house of Congress, aims to overhaul the judicial system by introducing popular elections for judges.
The proposal has sparked a wave of criticism and raised concerns, both domestically and internationally. The United States, Mexico’s primary trading partner, has expressed concerns that the reforms could undermine investor confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.
Adding to the controversy, the reform has also drawn ire from the judiciary itself. Striking judicial workers have appealed to the Supreme Court for intervention, a move dismissed by Lopez Obrador as lacking legal basis. In a rare public statement, Norma Pina, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, expressed her opposition to the reform proposal, albeit without explicitly naming it. She warned that the proposed changes could lead to the “demolition of the judicial branch,” and presented alternative reform proposals, calling upon Lopez Obrador and Congress to consider them.
The protest underscores the deep divisions surrounding the proposed judicial reform. While Lopez Obrador argues that the change is necessary to ensure that the courts serve the interests of the people rather than the elite, critics fear that the reforms will undermine the independence of the judiciary and potentially jeopardize Mexico’s legal framework. As the Senate prepares to vote on the proposal, the debate over the future of Mexico’s judicial system is likely to intensify.
