Mexico’s Senate committees approved a controversial judicial reform late on Sunday, which aims to reform the system entirely.
The bill, which passed by a wide margin in the Morena-controlled lower house, was approved in a seven-hour session of the Constitutional Points and Legislative Studies Committees. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party had previously advocated for judicial reform, pointing towards a corrupt court system. The proposed reform bill includes a democratic system to elect judges, ministers, and magistrates by popular vote and aims to reduce the number of Supreme Court justices. Additionally, the reform proposes the creation of a Judicial Discipline Tribunal to investigate judicial misconduct and ensure transparency within the judicial system.
Opponents of the bill, including prominent judges and judicial workers, have taken their concerns to the streets to influence the voting process. Most recently, Supreme Court judges escalated their opposition by joining the protests and declaring a strike against the reform. Justice Norma Piña, president of the Mexican Supreme Court, outlined an alternative reform in a video statement on Sunday, stating “Our history cannot be defined by the simplistic narrative that all the country’s security and justice problems are the judges’ fault. Those who believe this do not know Mexico.”
While López Obrador’s ruling Morena party has praised the reform as “historic” on X (formerly Twitter), opposition and human rights organizations warn of unprecedented politicization of the judiciary and a disproportionate influence of the ruling party on judicial decisions, thereby jeopardizing the impartiality of the system. Human Rights Watch voiced concerns over the ruling party’s interest in influencing which judicial candidates would run for election. In addition, it remains uncertain how and if candidates will receive funding for their election campaigns.
After approval by the two committees, the reform bill moves to the Senate for a full vote.
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