Mexico City, Mexico – Mexico’s judiciary on Wednesday went on strike to protest President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s upcoming judicial reform, with all federal courts and tribunals closed indefinitely.
Judges, magistrates and allied workers denounced what they consider a reform that threatens judicial independence and the rights of the Mexican people as the president and his ruling MORENA party will fast-track the bill in the coming weeks.
On August 19, the Association of Federal Judges (Jufed) called an internal meeting to determine whether to go on strike. According to a press release, out of 1,403 judges, 1,202 voted “yes” to the suspension of jurisdictional activities and 201 voted “no”.
“This decision is of vital importance in protecting the autonomy of the Federal Judiciary, a pillar of our democratic system,” the statement said.
The reform, which aims to elect judges and ministers by popular vote, among other things, has been severely criticized by experts, who have described it as authoritarian.
As of August 19, approximately 55,000 judicial branch employees nationwide have begun work stoppages. From midnight on August 21, the rest of the judiciary joined the strike.
On August 20, President López Obrador dismissed the strike and welcomed it, as it could be beneficial to his administration.
“Most Mexicans won’t care. I would tell them, with all sincerity and respect, that it will help us even if there are no active judges, magistrates, ministers; we have at least the guarantee that they will not let criminals of organized crime go free”, he said.
The President has strongly opposed that the judiciary urgently needs its reform, which would cleanse the body of corruption.
However, some critics have claimed that the reform is an attempt by the president to co-opt the judiciary, which has been one of the last remaining checks on his and the ruling party’s power.
López Obrador enjoyed a close and friendly relationship with the judiciary when MORENA loyalist Arturo Zaldivar served as president of the Supreme Court. The relationship was heavily criticized by political opponents who claimed that Zaldivar had bent the judiciary to AMLO’s wishes.
López Obrador himself claimed on more than one occasion that he asked Zaldivar to influence other judges on several occasions.
By January 2023, AMLO faced a major counterweight when Judge Norma Piña was elected president of the Supreme Court. Since then, the judiciary has struck back some of the president’s initiatives, such as the joining of the National Guard in the Army, which they called unconstitutional and seen as a major political defeat for AMLO and his party.
Since then, the president has promised radical reforms to democratize the judiciary, which he claims is currently being run by corrupt elites.
“In particular, they do not want reform of the judicial power, because it is a power taken hostage in the service of a predatory minority of a mafia, not only of organized crime, but basically a mafia of their powers. who thought they were the owners of Mexico,” said AMLO.
During the strike, the judiciary will only hear cases that are defined as “urgent”, such as cases of persons recently arrested by the military, human rights, violence against women, or cases involving a risk to the life or integrity of persons.
