Mexico’s Senate Passes Controversial Judicial Reform Bill

Mexico’s Senate Approves Controversial Judicial Reform

In a significant move, Mexico’s Senate on Wednesday narrowly passed a sweeping proposal aimed at overhauling the country’s judiciary system. This development effectively removes the last major hurdle for a measure that President Andrés Manuel López Obrador had pledged to implement before his term concludes at the end of this month.

The outcome of this vote highlights the considerable influence wielded by President López Obrador and his political party, Morena, following their substantial victories in the legislative elections held in June. With a solid legislative majority, they have been able to push through some of the president’s most contentious and far-reaching initiatives during his final weeks in office.

The proposed reform seeks to fundamentally alter the judiciary by transitioning from an appointment-based system, primarily focused on qualifications and training, to one where judges are elected directly by voters. This change would dramatically lower the requirements for individuals aspiring to become judges and would result in the removal of approximately 7,000 judges from their positions, ranging from the chief justice of the Supreme Court to local court judges.

Having already passed in the lower house of Congress last week during an extended session, the bill is now set to move to the state legislatures. For it to become law, it will require approval from a majority of these legislative bodies. Given that López Obrador’s Morena party and its allies currently control 25 of Mexico’s 32 state legislatures, its approval is anticipated to be a straightforward process.

If the bill is enacted, voters could potentially begin electing thousands of federal, state, and local judges as early as next year.

The debate over the reform, which commenced on Tuesday, was briefly halted when a group of protesters, brandishing megaphones and Mexican flags, stormed into the Senate building demanding that senators reject the overhaul. Following the lawmakers to a different venue, tensions escalated when an opposition senator was assaulted by an individual who threw gasoline on him. In response to the unrest, police officers were dispatched to disperse the demonstrations, utilizing fire extinguishers to restore order.