During their first morning press conference, the judges of the Judiciary Power of the Federation (PJF) responded to comments from President Claudia Sheinbaum about the judicial reform. They expressed that the final resolution on the constitutionality of the reform belongs to the judges, not to the Executive or Legislative powers.
In the conference, dubbed 'Judicial Morning' by some attendees, Judge Juan José Olvera López, from the Article 41 Collective, emphasized that, although the opinions of the Presidency and legislators are legitimate, the legal process must run its course in the courts. Accompanied by Judge Adriana Ortega Ortiz and Judge José Rogelio Alanís García, Olvera López underscored that the current debate on the reform is at a judicial stage, where judges will be responsible for deciding on the appeals presented.
"It is not up to them to have the final word; it is up to the judges," stated Olvera López. He recalled that in the past, the current actors in power used amparo trials to challenge constitutional reforms, and that now this same resource is crucial in the review of the judicial reform. He referred to Article 61 of the Amparo Law, which allows for the challenge of constitutional reforms, as a valid resource that must be respected and used by all.
Olvera López also mentioned the case of Judge Nancy Juárez Salas, from the 19th District Court in Veracruz, who granted an amparo against the publication of the reform. He urged the Legal Counsel of the Presidency not to issue opinions on the judge's decision, but to challenge it before the corresponding courts, following the procedures established in a rule of law.
The judges and magistrates who participated in the conference insisted that the review process of the reform is in the hands of the courts and any decision made by judges can be legally challenged. "If they believe the judge was wrong, they can challenge it, and the courts will decide," concluded Olvera López.
