Mexican courts could deploy masked judges for cartel trials

The United Nations warns that anonymous judges could violate suspects’ right to a fair trial.

The proposed reform of Mexico’s courts would also see judges appointed by election. The package has been heavily criticized as populist and authoritarian, ending meritocracy within the judiciary and potentially giving politicians control over the courts. But it appears to have the votes needed in Mexico’s Congress to pass.

It comes amid a slump in the peso’s value as investors worry about the rule of law in Mexico. US ambassador Ken Salazar has even warned that the package is a “threat to democracy”, in an unusually outspoken criticism of Mexican authorities by their US counterparts.

Mr López Obrador responded on Tuesday by saying he was pausing relations with the United States and Canada, which also questioned the legal reform.