**AMLO Accuses Supreme Court of Law Violation Against Overrepresentation; TEPJF Considered Final Authority**
On August 27, 2024, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador criticized the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) for accepting a legal challenge presented by Marko Antonio Cortés Mendoza, President of the National Executive Committee of the National Action Party (PAN). The challenge sought to have the Supreme Court review the assignment of seats in the Congress of the Union via proportional representation.
During his morning press conference at the Treasury Room of the National Palace, López Obrador claimed the SCJN overstepped its legal boundaries. He argued that the Court lacked the authority to review decisions made by the General Council of the National Electoral Institute (INE).
“The Court, without having the competencies, twisting and clearly violating the entire legal framework, accepted a PAN appeal that it should not address. It might be doing so because they’re willing to entertain anything,” López Obrador said. He described the action by the SCJN as part of “nervousness, anger, and also ridicule.”
The President explained that the SCJN had no jurisdiction over the allocation of proportional or plurinominal seats in the Chamber of Deputies. He reminded that the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) is the final authority in electoral matters.
On August 26, 2024, Norma Lucía Piña Hernández, President of the SCJN, accepted Cortés Mendoza’s challenge to review the proportional seat allocations in Congress. This step precedes the installation of the new Legislature on September 1, 2024, where the coalition of Morena and its allies, the Green Party (PVEM) and the Labor Party (PT), are projected to hold a qualified majority in the Lower House.
The appeal, presented on August 22, 2024, and deemed urgent by Cortés Mendoza, was assigned to Minister Juan Luis González Alcántara Carrancá for project preparation. The Plenary of the SCJN is set to analyze the conflict of legal doctrines on proportional representation assignments, involving SCJN’s 1998 ruling on unconstitutionality and several TEPJF resolutions.
The INE General Council approved on August 23, 2024, a proposal giving Morena, PVEM, and PT 72.8% of the seats in the Chamber of Deputies, amounting to 364 legislators. This was based on coalition representation and not individual party standings, ensuring the 4T’s supermajority needed for constitutional reforms, including those impacting the Federal Judicial System (PJF).
The opposition parties in the Senate would hold 45 of the 128 seats, lacking the numbers to challenge the 4T coalition’s control.
**Additional Updates**
– **Supreme Court Admits PAN Appeal for Review of Overrepresentation:** The SCJN’s acceptance of the PAN’s legal challenge against seat allocation by representation adds to the political tension. According to sources, the PAN argues that such allocations distort the democratic process.
– **AMLO Moves to Pause Diplomatic Relations:** In related political maneuvers, President López Obrador announced a pause in diplomatic engagements with the embassies of the U.S. and Canada following their criticism of judicial reforms in Mexico. This move indicates escalating international tensions.
– **Public Protests:** Simultaneously, workers from the PJF and students from UNAM held protests at the Ángel de la Independencia. They voiced concerns about potential judicial reforms, including the introduction of “faceless judges” clauses which critics argue could undermine judicial transparency and accountability.
For more updates, stay tuned to TJGringo.com.