Draft of Judicial Reform Includes Approximately 100 Amendments

The draft of the judicial reform proposal includes more than 100 changes from President López Obrador's original initiative. A key modification is the implementation of a lottery system to select candidates when the number of applicants exceeds the available positions. Additionally, there is now a provision for removing candidates after one year if they fail to show adequate progress.

Deputy Ignacio Mier, Coordinator, MORENA, outlined the election schedule for selecting ministers, magistrates, and judges. There will be an election in 2025, followed by a concurrent ordinary election with the federal election in 2027. In the 2025 election, the entire Supreme Court will be elected, along with 50% of the magistrates and all vacant, retirement, and pre-retirement judicial positions, totaling approximately 800 positions. 

The draft also proposes creating three evaluation councils, one for each branch of government, to assess candidates' qualifications, backgrounds, and experiences. If the councils identify an excessive number of candidates, a lottery will be conducted to select those advancing to the election. Selected candidates will move from the Senate to INE for the final candidacy stage. Candidates will not be permitted to campaign or advertise and will only participate in debates organized by INE or media outlets. 

Furthermore, evaluations will be carried out before and after the first year in office. If an elected individual’s performance is deemed unsatisfactory, they will be removed from their position. “There will be evaluations conducted before taking office for all candidates who are not judges, magistrates, or ministers, and another evaluation after their first year in office. The disciplinary tribunal will review their performance, require additional training if necessary, and remove them if their performance does not improve,” Mier said.

Despite the revisions, federal judges and magistrates have called for a vote on a potential nationwide work strike, set to begin on Aug. 21, 2024, with no fixed end date, to protest against the judicial reform. The decision on whether to move forward with the reform will be made on Monday, Aug. 17.