Eight of 11 Judges Leave STF Before Judicial Elections

Eight of the 11 judges of the Mexican Supreme Court resigned in the space of two days, due to a judicial reform that made Mexico the first country to elect all judges by popular vote.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Norma Piña and seven others submitted letters of resignation on Tuesday and Wednesday, saying they would step down rather than run in judicial elections scheduled for June 2025.

The only judges who have expressed interest in going to the elections are Lenia Batres, Yazmín Esquivel and Loreta Ortiz, judges aligned with the current Government's program.

Supreme Court justices were previously selected by Mexico's parliament.

Also on Wednesday, the lower house of parliament approved a new constitutional amendment that prevents Mexico's justice system from suspending the application of recent amendments to the Constitution, including judicial reform.

The Mexican Supreme Court had planned to analyze in the coming days a complaint presented by the opposition, which denounced the unconstitutionality of the judicial reform.

The judicial reform was approved by the former head of state, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, weeks before leaving power, on October 1st.

During his term, Obrador accused the Mexican judicial system of being corrupt and serving only the economic interests of the elite, while more than 90% of crimes go unpunished in Mexico, according to non-governmental organizations.

The judicial reform establishes that judges who do not run for office or are not elected will lose their right to retirement, unless they resign before the end of the competition.

Mexico's new president, Claudia Sheinbaum, said Tuesday that the judges' dismissal was due to a desire to preserve "a lot of money" from their pensions.

The president of the Senate, the upper house of parliament, Gerardo Fernández Noroña, also suggested that judges are refusing to participate in the elections "to leave with full suitcases".

Opponents believe that judicial reform will put the independence of judges at risk and make them vulnerable to pressure from organized crime.

The United States, Mexico's main trading partner, considered the reform "a risk" to Mexican democracy and "a threat" to bilateral trade relations, at a time when Mexico has overtaken China as its neighbor's largest trading partner. north.

Multilateral organizations such as the United Nations and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, business organizations such as the International Chamber of Commerce and financial rating agencies such as Fitch and Moody's have also warned of negative repercussions for Mexico due to this reform.