Mayday: Mexico’s Justice System Crashing

The Judicial Reform isn't about justice. It's about control.

Protest over judicial reform, Mexico City (Photo: Luis Cortés/Reuters).

You’re boarding a plane. As you settle down into your seat, you hear a flight attendant making an announcement. “Please cooperate with the crew and vote for which passengers you want to have as pilot and copilot.” A few people walk to the cockpit, clearly unqualified for the job, no idea how to fly. The plane crashes during takeoff.  

Imagine being on that plane. Well, something similar is happening in my country, Mexico. My name is Andrés, and I’m a 17 year old boy born and raised in Mexico City and I’m here to talk about my country’s Judicial Reform. 

On Sunday, June 1st, for the first time in our history, the first election for federal judges and magistrates took place. But here’s the thing: a “first” isn’t always a good thing. There’s a reason why most countries don’t elect their top justices: nothing but disaster can be expected from incapable people running the show. 

In the sane good old days, Mexico’s judges weren’t elected, they were appointed based on merit. The Federal Judiciary Council (CJF) was the top dog and oversaw who got promoted, punished, or appointed. Judges were chosen by institutions like state congresses and the CJF, not by popular vote. So why did this change?

In February 2024, Former President AMLO (Andrés Manuel López Obrador) passed by Congress after the June 2024 election, now backed by current President Claudia Sheinbaum. Starting in 2025, here’s what changes with the Judicial Reform: 

• Judges by Popular Vote: All judges, even Supreme Court ones, elected, not appointed.

• Smaller Supreme Court: Justices go from 11 to 9. Chambers eliminated.

• New Oversight Bodies: A new tribunal replaces councils.

• Salary Caps: Judges can’t earn more cash than the President.

• Faceless Judges: Allowed to stay anonymous in certain cases. 

• No More Lifetime Pensions: Eliminated for all justices. 

• Congressional Veto Power: Lawmakers can veto candidates for judge elections.

It’s the ultimate recipe for disaster. Why?

Well, because if one thing guards us from a dictatorship, it’s justice: the force that differs right and wrong. This reform destroys that. Judges will make their decisions to please voters, follow their political party, or even bow to organized crime, rather than act based on their expertise and education. The fact that it also removes certain qualifications makes the whole body weaker and less prepared. 

You might remember sitting in class learning about the importance of having three separate branches (the legislative, the executive, and the judicial) to stop the government from being too powerful. Well, this reform disrupts that balance. Lawmakers (legislative) and the Presidential administration (executive) can now veto judicial judges, letting Morena keep control across all branches. It will also weaken the amparo lawsuit, a key tool Mexicans use to protect their rights.

The Judiciary shouldn’t be something people vote for like it’s Student Council, it should be a serious body that does everything to defend the people, not a party’s rule, and definitely not one that gives in to corruption. 

Senator celebrates judicial reform passage (Photo: Henry Romero/Reuters).

Many foreign investors will pull out of Mexico, slowing growth. Business slows down, jobs disappear, and economic instability grows. I mean who wants to put their cash in a place where justice isn’t served right. 

So if all this is at risk…. 

Why did Mexico let this slide?

AMLO called for the reform as part of his 4th Transformation, a reform movement called to fight corruption and poverty. According to him, the Judicial Reform seeks to put an end to the corrupt systems that have for long dominated the country. Doesn’t sound bad right? 

Well, corruption doesn’t end by destroying an independent institution and masking a power grab. 

So who voted for it? In September of last year, the Senate met to vote on whether to pass the Judicial Reform or not. Senators from Morena (the President’s Party) and Partido Verde (also a left-winged party) all voted for the reform, and it wasn’t enough. It took a traitor from the opposition to help reach the 86 votes required to make the nightmare come true. 

Fast-forward to June 1st and the election took place. Although President Sheinbaum and candidates from Morena celebrated the election as a great success, only 13% of Mexicans went to the streets to vote. It is very ironic for a President with the highest approval rate in the world (80%) to have organized an election with such low participation. The election was also very criticized, as the government spread a series of “cheat-sheets” telling Mexican citizens who to vote for, many taking them with them to vote. This is yet another example of how unprepared the Mexican public is to vote for judges and magistrates. If no real campaigning took place, how are people supposed to know who will best protect and serve justice?

And amidst this mess, I wonder how youth will be affected by this. In a few years, this is the country that we’ll have to lead, and it really shames me to represent a country where “justice” isn’t a serious and professional matter, but a political one. With the Judicial Reform, the rights of millions of Mexicans are at stake, and we’re one step closer to a dictatorship. With many Foreign Businesses and Investors leaving, many job opportunities will disappear for us. It also scares me to have a future where youth can be unjustly treated by corrupt and politicised judges.

But out of all these reasons, what scares me most is that many Mexicans don’t have access to a decent education and a basic sense of criteria. 

I mean we’re not the first country to elect our judges and magistrates- the US, Switzerland, and Japan elect some of their judges and magistrates too. But they have checks, qualifications, and a much more informed public. The other side of the coin however, countries like Venezuela and Bolivia, show how judicial elections can turn into political tools, where justice becomes less about the law and more about what party has more power. 

And as funeral wreaths were left outside the Supreme Court, those informed mourn for true justice in my country. So to you, fellow truth-seeker, I ask you to take the time to get informed about politics in whatever country you’re from. Corruption and injustice are much weaker with an informed public, and truth is the first step towards change. 

“Justice is dead,” reads a funeral wreath in Congress (Photo: Alfredo Moreno Espinosa).

Bibliography:

Mayer Brown. (2024, October). Mexico’s controversial judicial reform takes effect: Assessing its impact. Mayer Brown. https://www.mayerbrown.com/en/insights/publications/2024/10/mexicos-controversial-judicial-reform-takes-effect-assessing-its-impact

Kahn, T. (2024, May 14). Mexico’s 2024 Judicial Reform: Politicization of justice? Wilson Center. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/article/mexicos-2024-judicial-reform-politicization-justice

Ríos, J. A. (2024, June 2). The Judicial Storm. El Juego de la Corte, Nexos. https://eljuegodelacorte.nexos.com.mx/the-judicial-storm/

BBC News Mundo. (2024, May 30). Qué propone la reforma al Poder Judicial que impulsa AMLO y por qué genera polémica en México. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cx28kzy4g8k