**Senate Declares Judicial Reform Constitutional Amid Boycott by Opposition Lawmakers**
On September 13, 2024, without the presence of lawmakers from the opposition parties, including Movimiento Ciudadano (MC), Acción Nacional (PAN), and the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the President of the Senate, José Gerardo Rodolfo Fernández Noroña, declared the constitutionality of a reform to the Federal Judiciary. This absence was a form of protest against what they deemed an overly hasty and debate-lacking approval process.
The only opposition legislator who attended the session was Miguel Ángel Yunes Márquez from PAN, but he sat among the seats of the “fourth transformation” coalition, composed of Morena, Partido Verde Ecologista Mexicano (PVEM), and Partido del Trabajo (PT). In a symbolic gesture, these lawmakers displayed signs that read “The people rule.”
The judicial reform passed through both the House of Deputies and the Senate within a week. Subsequently, it was approved by at least 24 state legislatures in just over 24 hours. Only the states of Jalisco and Querétaro rejected the measure.
State congresses that supported the reform include Baja California, Baja California Sur, Campeche, Colima, Durango, Guerrero, Hidalgo, State of Mexico, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosí, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala, Veracruz, Yucatán, Zacatecas, and Mexico City.
After achieving the necessary validation from 17 local legislatures, both chambers of the federal Congress convened sessions at 2:00 PM and 5:00 PM on September 13, 2024, respectively, to formally declare the constitutionality of the judicial reform. The next step is to send the reform to the President for publication in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF).
—
**Secondary Article: Tribunal Orders Halt on Reform Publication**
In a dramatic turn of events, a tribunal has ordered the suspension of the publication of the recently validated judicial reform in the Official Gazette of the Federation (DOF). According to a Spanish newspaper, Claudia Sheinbaum, prominent political figure and potential presidential candidate, attempted to block the reform’s progress.
Another source reveals that this effort to stymie the reform reflects internal divisions within the “fourth transformation” coalition. Meanwhile, the Mexican government is facing growing public unrest over several issues, including rising crime rates and economic instability.
The situation remains highly fluid, and it is unclear when or if the judicial reform will be formally enacted. Both supporters and detractors of the reform are mobilizing to influence the outcome of this judicial blockade.