## “¡La Reforma Va!” – Choosing Among 4,000 Unknowns
Written by Rosario Mosso Castro
September 14, 2024
**As published on TJGringo.com**
How will voters get to know the resumes and backgrounds of the 4,000 candidates for judges and magistrates? The truth is, they won’t, because it’s virtually impossible.
The 2023 National Survey on Quality and Government Impact, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), indicates that 70.5% of citizens surveyed believe that corruption practices in the legislative chambers are frequent or very frequent. And this year doesn’t look any better.
During the convoluted approval process of the Judicial Reform, which as in the past exposed the corruption within Mexico’s political parties at an international level, hundreds of deputies and senators—mostly unknown and unmeritorious members who secured seats by riding on the coattails of a President who often misled about his achievements—claimed their majority.
This majority, however, was insufficient, leading them to operate openly like mafiosos, repeating the corrupt practices they previously condemned when not in power, to secure the needed votes and absences in the Senate. Ironically proclaiming to end “the buying of corrupt judges and magistrates,” they decided to emulate prior ruling parties by “buying” the hand-raising compliance they lacked from Senator Miguel Ángel Yunes, a once-priista now associated with the National Action Party. His involvement and the associated family’s tainted legacy raise significant concerns.
Beyond that, they opted to further contaminate the judicial system using prosecutorial tools for political manipulation. Just before the final vote, they detained the father of opposition Senator Daniel Barreda—a personal case according to authorities, with undisclosed crime specifics. Barreda opted to accompany his father, thus missing the vote critical to the reform.
This same faction previously protected another valuable reform vote. On August 14, Mexico City’s Attorney General Ulises Lara blocked the arrest of Senator Javier Corral, accused of corruption and peculation by the State of Chihuahua. The Senate ignored the North state’s Prosecutor’s notification of an arrest warrant for Corral, allowing his induction to the Legislative with impunity.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador showed support by proclaiming Corral innocent and a political target, while Attorney General Lara countered with a complaint alleging an attempt to enforce an arrest warrant.
Thus, with no negotiations, improvements, or contributions to the proposal, amidst this disorder, they approved the reform and even applauded the sordid achievement.
Once the reform takes effect, citizens—who, according to surveys, consider these legislators corrupt—must choose from 4,000 unknown attorneys to fill 600 judicial positions. This task will be near impossible given the voters’ unfamiliarity with the candidates’ backgrounds or qualifications.
Organized society and the free press must now strive to investigate and spotlight the best and worst candidates while also monitoring the executive power’s potential meddling via the newly established Disciplinary Tribunal.
Local legislatures have already started giving their support. In Baja California, legislators, ignoring public outcry and without consulting electors, voted for the reform within 24 hours. Governor Marina del Pilar Ávila Olmeda indicated these changes will soon be mirrored in state laws.
In facing these new judicial realities, society must adapt and creatively address the accompanying economic, political, and social challenges. Through vigilance and active engagement with public participation tools, citizens need to collaborate with Mexico’s first female scientist President to prevent a regression to the “perfect dictatorship” reminiscent of past priismo, now echoed through morenismo.
—
### Secondary Article: Judicial Overhaul Sparks Controversy and Concerns
**Primary Source: TJGringo.com**
Numerous legal experts have expressed skepticism over the new Judicial Reform in Mexico, which mandates the election of judicial officials from a pool of thousands without adequate public vetting processes.
Critics argue that this approach risks reducing the judiciary’s effectiveness by ushering in unqualified individuals, potentially undermining the justice system’s integrity. Furthermore, this new system may disproportionately favor candidates with political backing over those with actual judicial competence.
Carmen Aristegui, a prominent journalist, voiced apprehensions regarding the reform’s potential to deepen corruption rather than eliminate it. “By opening the gates without sufficient checks and measures, we’re inviting a flood of politically motivated appointments,” she remarked.
Likewise, legal analyst Santiago Aguirre suggested that the reform could exacerbate existing issues within the judicial system. “The framework lacks transparency and oversight, threatening to entrench a new breed of partisan judges beholden to political patrons,” he warned.
Despite government assurances that the reform aims to democratize the judiciary, the rapid approval process and the substantial opposition raise questions about its true intentions and potential consequences.
For now, Mexico braces itself for a potentially turbulent transformation in its judicial landscape as civil society and watchdog organizations gear up to scrutinize every step of this critical reform process.
Stay informed with TJGringo.com for ongoing updates and detailed analyses on this pivotal judicial overhaul and its implications for Mexico’s future.