López Obrador to publish judicial reform decree on Independence Day

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador expects to publish the decree formalizing the judicial reform on September 15, Mexico's Independence Day, after the necessary number of state congresses approve his proposal, which has already received a green light in the national legislature.

López Obrador made the announcement during his daily press conference on Thursday, adding that 18 of the 32 state congresses approved the reform. At least 17 states must approve such a reform, which requires a change to the constitution.

Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Colima, Yucatán, Morelos, Baja California, Durango, Puebla, Tlaxcala, Campeche, Sinaloa, Guerrero, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas approved the reform, which recently passed both chambers of the national congress.

“In all these states, the reform to the judicial branch has already been approved... A constitutional reform requires the approval of the chamber of deputies, the senate with a qualified majority, and half plus one of the states, of the federative entities. In other words, 17 are required, and in this way, the process is already legalized. All that is missing is the publication, which is the responsibility of the head of the executive,” said López Obrador.

“It would be good to think about publishing it on September 15 because it is a very important reform. It is to reaffirm that in Mexico there is an authentic democracy, that the people elect their representatives, that the people elect the public servants of the three powers, that is democracy; not the elites, not the so-called political class, not the oligarchy,” he responded when asked about when it will be published in the official gazette.

The reform presented by López Obrador in February has attracted increasing criticism from governments, international associations and actors from the financial, private and academic sectors.

López Obrador's fundamental proposal is that all judges, magistrates and servants at the supreme court should be elected by popular vote, a change critics describe as a direct threat to judicial independence and democracy. It means all current supreme court judges will be dismissed to make way for judges elected in June 2025, along with 50% of magistrates and all vacancies for judges. In 2027, there will be another election concurrent with the federal one to fill the missing positions.

The number of supreme court judges is being reduced from 11 to nine and their terms from 15 to 12 years. The chief justice position will be renewed every two years on a rotating basis.

On October 1, Claudia Sheinbaum, also a member of ruling Morena party, will take office as president. She recently addressed investors over concerns about the reform.

“Local and foreign investors should know that their investments will be well looked after in Mexico and that this reform to the judiciary, on the contrary, strengthens democracy and justice in our country and that is what we all want in Mexico,” she said.