Most Mexican Supreme Court justices resign after judicial reform

(CLO) Up to 8 out of 11 judges of the Supreme Court of Mexico have resigned and refused to participate in the election for the court scheduled to be held in June next year, according to the court's announcement on Wednesday.

According to a statement, the President of the Court, Norma Pina, submitted her resignation, along with judges Luis Maria Aguilar, Jorge Mario Pardo, Alfredo Gutierrez, Alberto Perez, Javier Laynez, Juan Luis Gonzalez and Margarita Rios. Of these, seven judges will officially leave office on August 31 next year, while Judge Aguilar will retire on November 30 this year.

Protesters protest in front of the National Museum of Art (MUNAL) in Mexico City, Mexico, September 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Henry Romero

The resignations are a result of a constitutional reform enacted last month that requires all judges to be elected by popular vote.

Accordingly, judges must resign before the June election if they do not want to participate in the election process but still want to receive their pension; otherwise, they risk losing this benefit. This regulation has caused outrage and protests from judicial staff.

The mass resignations have increased tensions between Mexico's Supreme Court and the ruling bloc, raising the risk of a constitutional crisis as Mexico's Congress and President continue to disagree with the judiciary over reform.

“It is important to emphasize that this resignation does not imply that we accept the constitutionality of this reform,” Judge Gutierrez wrote in his resignation letter on Tuesday.

In a letter to the Mexican Senate on Wednesday, Ms. Rios said her decision to resign “should not be seen as tacit support for a controversial reform framework.”

Under this reform, the number of justices on the 11-member Supreme Court would be reduced to nine. Currently, three justices on the Supreme Court have publicly supported this reform.

Hong Hanh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phan-lon-tham-phan-toa-an-toi-cao-mexico-tu-chuc-sau-cai-cach-tu-phap-post319305.html