**Sheinbaum Sends Secondary Law Reforms to Senate for Selection of Judges**
On October 7, 2024, Rosa Icela Rodríguez Velázquez, head of the Ministry of the Interior, delivered a package of legislative reforms to the Senate’s Board of Directors. The proposed changes aim to modify the General Law of Electoral Institutions and Procedures, alongside the General Law of the System of Electoral Disputes, focusing on the election process for judges, magistrates, and ministers.
José Gerardo Rodolfo Fernández Noroña, presiding over the Senate’s board, announced that these initiatives would undergo discussion in the Senate plenary session by October 9, 2024, following a committee evaluation. Morena’s Senate leader, Adán Augusto López Hernández, emphasized a comprehensive review and denied any intention for expedited approval.
Rodríguez Velázquez highlighted the potential transformative impact of these reforms, as they lay the groundwork for a new judicial structure in Mexico. The legislative timeline includes key dates for the judge selection process, spanning from the initial Senate call on October 16, 2024, up to the proposed elections slated for June 1, 2025, overseen by the National Electoral Institute (INE).
INE will play a pivotal role, ensuring voters’ rights and regulating campaign activities. Candidates can apply to multiple calls distributed across different jurisdictions.
President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo elaborated on a two-phase renewal plan for the nation’s Federal Judiciary, with voting activities scheduled for 2025 and 2027. These elections aim to fill Supreme Court positions. She stressed the essential nature of aligning state and local constitutional frameworks to facilitate these elections.
Sheinbaum clarified that the procedure involves contributions from various governmental branches, each issuing its own set of calls for candidate applications, and underlined the Senate’s duty to adjust plans should judicial vacancies not be reported promptly.
The process will extend across three governmental branches, aggregating a selection committee composed of members nominated by both executive and legislative entities, as well as the judiciary itself. The chosen candidates will then be subject to public voting organized by the INE, ensuring a democratic selection for these eminent judicial roles.
**INE Urges TEPJF Not to Hinder Judicial Elections**
In a recent development, the National Electoral Institute (INE) implored the Electoral Tribunal of the Federal Judiciary (TEPJF) to refrain from obstructing preparations for the 2025 judicial elections. This petition emerged during an electoral trial, arguing the TEPJF’s lack of jurisdiction over electoral nature acts and general norms, stressing that any imposed suspensions impede the judicial election process.
The INE’s appeal, lodged with magistrate Felipe de la Mata Pizaña, presently contests 71 suspensions issued by various judiciaries against the Federal Judiciary reform. These suspensions have directed the INE to cease preparations for the forthcoming electoral process.
**Morena Deputy Proposes Legislation to Limit SCJN’s Oversight on Constitutional Reforms**
In response to recent moves by the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) to potentially review the PJF reform, Morena Deputy Sergio Carlos Gutiérrez Luna introduced a draft decree on October 4, 2024, seeking to amend the Federal Judicial Power’s Organic Law. The proposed changes would clearly outline SCJN’s jurisdiction, asserting that it should only address internal disputes within the judicial system, thus preventing its interference in constitutional amendments.
Gutiérrez Luna emphasized that the people’s will, as expressed through constitutional reforms, should remain untouched by judicial scrutiny. The legislation aims to cement the separation of powers and reinforce the autonomy of Mexico’s Judicial Power, maintaining its focus on internal matters and enhancing juridical clarity and transparency.