Mexico’s highest court will investigate controversial judicial reforms

Published on: 04/10/2024 – 01:40Altered: 04/10/2024 – 01:38

1 min

The majority voted in favor despite a warning from one of the judges, Lenia Batres, who is close to the ruling Morena party, that the top court was in danger of carrying out a “coup”.

Senate President Gerardo Fernandez Norona, a member of Morena, said the Supreme Court “has proven its factional nature, by assuming itself as the supreme power, above the legislature, the executive, and above all the sovereign power: the people of Mexico. .”

“Nothing will stop the election of the judges in June 2025,” he wrote on social media platform X.

The Supreme Court said in a statement that the decision reflected its “obligation to ensure the autonomy and independence of the judiciary of the federation and its members.”

The judicial reforms were signed into law by then-President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador in September, before he left office.

Lopez Obrador warned the Supreme Court before the bill was passed by Congress that halting the trial would be a “blatant violation” of the constitution.

The veteran left-wing politician – who was replaced on Tuesday by his ally Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico’s first female president – ​​argued that the reforms were needed to clean up a “rotten” judiciary that serves the interests of the political and economic elite .

Critics say elected judges can be swayed by politics and are vulnerable to pressure from powerful drug cartels that regularly use bribery and intimidation to influence officials.

During his six years in office, Lopez Obrador often criticized the Supreme Court, which stymied some of his policies in areas such as energy and security.

The judicial reforms have raised diplomatic tensions with key economic partners, sparked a series of street protests and spooked financial markets.

The United States, Mexico’s top trading partner, warned it was threatening a relationship that depends on investor confidence in Mexico’s legal framework.

© 2024 AFP