Eight of the eleven justices on Mexico’s Supreme Court have resigned and opted out of participating in the upcoming election for the court scheduled for June, according to a statement released by the court on Wednesday.
The court’s president, Norma Pina, along with justices Luis Maria Aguilar, Jorge Mario Pardo, Alfredo Gutierrez, Alberto Perez, Javier Laynez, Juan Luis Gonzalez, and Margarita Rios, all submitted their resignations. Seven of these resignations will take effect on August 31, 2025, while Aguilar will step down on November 30.
These resignations stem from a constitutional reform enacted last month that mandates judges to be elected by popular vote. The reform stipulates that judges must resign before the June election if they wish to avoid participating in the electoral process and wish to retain their pensions, raising concerns among judicial workers about potential repercussions.
The wave of resignations amplifies tensions between Mexico’s Supreme Court and the ruling government, heightening the risk of a constitutional crisis as the judiciary, Congress, and the presidency clash over the reform.
Justice Gutierrez emphasized in his resignation letter that his decision should not be construed as an acceptance of the reform’s constitutionality. Similarly, Rios expressed in her letter to the Senate that her resignation ‘should not be seen as an implicit endorsement of a (reform) framework that remains controversial.’
With these changes, the Supreme Court will shrink from eleven to nine justices under the new reform, although three current justices have publicly supported the initiative.
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